It wasn't a question of ‘why now?’, it was a matter of ‘why not?’,” Charlotte Dellal tells Vogue of her new foray into swimwear in collaboration with Adriana Degreas. “I have always loved swimwear, maybe it’s the Brazilian in me. Before shoes, I wanted to design lingerie and swimwear – I own more swimwear than shoes!”

The tie-up is the latest in a series of product launches, re-runs of old favourites and collaborations with “like-minded people” in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Dellal’s brand, Charlotte Olympia. “What I love about Adriana is that her swimwear is not just swimwear,” she explains of finding the right partner to realise her ambition with. “Her brand sensibility very much embodies the ‘40s and the ‘50s aesthetic, and that whole poolside glamour.”

The playful collection comprises the leopard print, tutti frutti appliqué, lip silhouettes and feline features that make up Charlotte Olympia’s DNA, but complement the signature shapes of Adriana Degreas. The “bikini hands” on Degreas’s bandeau top, for example, have been replaced by paws inspired by Dellal’s leopard mascot, Bruce.

But the hot pants and kiss-shaped tops in powder pink and punchy red are not an ode to the ‘50s pin-up aesthetic Dellal has made her personal and brand signature. Surprisingly, perhaps, Dellal is “very much Brazilian” when it comes to her bikinis: “I like the tiny ones more than the big ones when I’m going to the beach.” And so, there are itsy-bitsy briefs – "the ones that people would expect from Rio" – in the capsule edit, as well as the ruched swimsuits and swimming caps that err on the conservative side.

If it was glamour that drew Dellal to Degreas, the lookbook model is the same calibre of fabulous. “Sabine Getty is a friend of mine,” she asserts. “We wanted someone who gets it." The jeweller brings a level of humour and modernity to the brand and, rather handily, her baby, Gene, is the perfect size to show off the mini-me versions. If Dellal was waiting for "the right time and the right people", she certainly picked her swimwear moment.

The collection, which is priced from £263 to £746, is available from Charlotteolympia.com as well as Net-a-Porter.com and Matchesfashion.com, from July 5.