Chromat’s spring 2025 collection—featuring triangle-top bikinis, high-waist one-pieces, and swim skirts—represents 15 years of Bex McCharen’s vision since founding the label in 2010. But this chapter is coming to a close: McCharen recently announced that spring 2025 will be Chromat’s final collection for the foreseeable future. The decision was influenced by the post-pandemic economy, the current social and political climate, and McCharen’s personal transition toward a more transmasculine identity.
“I’ve been running on fumes for a long time, trying to meet all the demands from stores, press, and everything else,” McCharen shared from their Miami home. “The pandemic was a turning point. For the first time, I had space to ask myself, ‘Do I really need to release six collections a year? Is this sustainable?'” Though they continued designing after lockdown, creating the spring 2025 collection felt like “pulling teeth,” leaving them emotionally and spiritually drained. “I realized I wasn’t designing for myself anymore. The pieces I was making leaned more feminine than how I want to present now.”
For the final collection, McCharen reunited with Tourmaline, their collaborator on Chromat’s spring 2022 lifeguard-inspired red swimwear designed for trans, non-binary, and intersex bodies. This time, they focused on Chromat’s signature blue, along with sandy off-white and black. “The collection is deeply inspired by Miami’s queer and trans community,” McCharen said, noting that friends modeled the looks.
Now, McCharen is an artist-in-residence at a cancer hospital, helping patients with art projects. “It’s been a perspective shift,” they said. “When you hear their stories, you realize everything is okay.” Outside the hospital, they quilt at Oolite Arts, a nonprofit studio. “I’m still sewing, but in a different way—quilting feels like a legacy project, something I could do for the next 20 years.” They’re currently working on commissioned quilts but have no interest in scaling it into a major business. “I’m a little burnt out on ‘girl bossing,’ but this is something I love.”
While Chromat is closing for now, McCharen hasn’t ruled out a return. “In the future, I might design for more masculine and transmasc audiences, even men,” they said. “But it’ll be for a new set of experiences. I want to honor my gender journey without rushing into collections. I’m not in a hurry.”