Sun, Ocean & Aja

A first look at Aja, a Santa Barbara-based luxury swimwear line

By Nathalie Tovar

In the shimmering Santa Barbara waters, a gold-toned hardware detail catches the light perfectly on the back of a bikini. This delicately placed palm tree charm is the signature motif of Aja Swimline, an emerging local label taking a conscious and design-forward approach to creating swimwear. Owned by Rachel and Gabriel Guerrero, the Aja namesake is a nod to an ancient Aries constellation representing new beginnings. Before establishing their brand in Santa Barbara, the two resided in a beach town in South Texas, where much of their early inspiration came from.

“It's been inspiring to live in both Texas and California because both places bring a different meaning,” describes Rachel. She explains that Texas was the starting point of this project, specifically when it came to the color palette. Being close to Tulum, colors like terracotta, burnt sienna, cream, and ocean blue only felt natural to incorporate within their first collection. However, it wasn’t until the move to Santa Barbara that the European flair in their products emerged, featuring softer silhouettes and elegant cuts. In particular, their white silk wrap dress, cut from a single piece of fabric, mirrors exactly what she loves about American Riviera style. 

Rachel is no stranger to the fashion industry, working as a makeup artist for several designers at New York and Miami Fashion Weeks. From the start, she knew that fashion and beauty were where she felt most like herself, leading to the eventual launch of Aja later in her career after a personal journey of discovering confidence and acceptance. 

“I think everybody should be themselves,” Rachel states. “You put on the swimsuit and gain confidence from within, and the swimsuit on the outside will reflect all of that.” It’s a philosophy that shows up within the pieces themselves, each crafted with precision and care. Working with a small production team from Los Angeles, Rachel and Gabriel locally source all of their materials and fabrics, ensuring that premium quality products are used, while remaining closely involved with the design and production process. Even the smallest details are intentional, from handpicked colors for a custom paisley print to Chino shorts featuring back zippers engraved with “Aja”. She and her husband are equally intentional about the fit of their products, designing each piece to not just look flattering but to feel comfortable for a wide range of individuals. One of their swimsuit pieces, a wire bra top, went through six different revisions until it matched exactly what they envisioned in terms of shape and aesthetics.

The process is time consuming, but ultimately rewarding in the end; Rachel explains that the real payoff came the day of their first photoshoot, when others confidently wearing her pieces brought the collection fully to life. “I actually cried for the first time through this whole process when everybody had a piece on,” she recalls. “That was the time when I saw that this product is truly what we wanted.” Over the summer, she and her husband hope to add more styles into the swim collection and begin developing loungewear by winter. 

With the May 2026 launch of their debut collection, Rachel is excited about what Aja is bringing to the scene: an invitation for both men and women to feel authentically themselves in a swimsuit.