Bikini Village

Bikini Village is a Canadian swimwear retailer founded in Quebec in 1978 by Paul Delage Roberge and owned since 2016 by François Roberge, the founder of the lingerie chain La Vie en Rose. It sells women's and men's swimwear, beachwear and accessories from more than 50 international brands through over 70 stores across Canada, plus an online shop. The company calls itself a "specialty swimwear destination," and for most of its history it has been exactly that: a store that sells swimsuits all year in a country with a short summer.

A year-round swim shop in Quebec

Selling bikinis in Quebec in January sounds like a poor business plan. Bikini Village's history suggests otherwise. Canadians buy swimwear for winter holidays in the Caribbean, Florida and Mexico as much as for their own lakes and pools in July, and a dedicated shop can serve both seasons. The founder's idea, as the company tells it, was to build a specialist destination rather than a seasonal corner of a department store.

For almost three decades the chain stayed close to home in Quebec and later Ontario, and it stayed focused on women's swimwear. In 2006 it added men's swimwear and accessories, a change that widened the customer base and turned the stores into places couples and families could shop together before a trip.

Fifty-two stores and a new owner

By 2015 the chain had 52 stores across Quebec and Ontario, the figure the company itself gives. A year later it changed hands. François Roberge, who founded the Canadian lingerie chain La Vie en Rose, bought Bikini Village in 2016. The company describes the deal as "the beginning of a new adventure," and the expansion that followed shows why the fit made sense.

La Vie en Rose already sold bras, panties, sleepwear and its own swim ranges in malls across Canada. It knew how to source intimates, how to fit them and how to run a national mall chain. Bikini Village brought a dedicated swim format and a list of international brand partners. Under the same owner, the two chains cover much of what a Canadian woman buys for underneath and for the beach.

From Alberta to Newfoundland

The westward push started soon after the sale. According to the company's timeline, Bikini Village opened its first stores in Alberta and Manitoba in 2018, in British Columbia in 2019, and in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland in 2021. That turned a regional chain into a national one. It now reports more than 70 stores across Canada, up from the 52 it had in two provinces before the change of ownership.

What the stores sell

Bikini Village works mainly as a multi-brand retailer. Its website lists labels such as Rip Curl, Billabong, O'Neill and Body Glove from the surf world, fashion swim names such as Jets Australia, Artesands, Kulani Kinis, LSPACE and Hamabe, and labels including Bleu Rod Beattie, Turquoise Couture and Shoreline Seven, alongside SAXX for men. That mix is typical of a specialist: surf brands for younger shoppers, trend-led swim for fashion buyers, and more structured suits for women who want support.

For lingerie collectors the crossover is in the construction. Many swim tops sold in a store like this are built like bras, with molded cups, underwires and adjustable straps, and the bottoms follow underwear cuts from the bikini bottom to the Brazilian and the high-waist brief. A well-stocked swim specialist is in effect a second lingerie department, sized for water rather than for daily wear.

Bikini Village key dates

Year	Event
1978	Founded in Quebec by Paul Delage Roberge
2006	Men's swimwear and accessories added
2015	52 stores in Quebec and Ontario
2016	Bought by François Roberge, founder of La Vie en Rose
2018	First stores in Alberta and Manitoba
2019	British Columbia
2021	Saskatchewan and Newfoundland

The 1978 date matters because it corrects a figure that circulates elsewhere: older listings, including an earlier version of this page, gave 1982 and Montreal. The company's own account says 1978 and Quebec, and it now runs a coast-to-coast chain from that start.

Last updated October 7, 2026