Urban Scuba steps forward

Gone are the days of damp, heavy surfsuits. In their place are figure-hugging summer dresses, spongy iPad cases and hi-top trainers.

Tough in texture, neoprene is a surprising choice of dress material but ex-stylist Lisa Marie Fernandez saw the potential for such clothing three years ago after endless Google searches for it showed no results. Now Fernandez claims she has an exclusive type of luxury neoprene — made in America but far from the surf.

"My idea took a year to develop as it's so hard to construct, but ours is so different to wetsuits — it's soft, feels light on and it's so versatile," she says.

After a successful first season, comprising seven neoprene bathing suits and bikinis which were immediately snapped up by Liberty and Net-a-Porter.com, Fernandez has since launched a 70-piece collection including bold, two-toned neoprene dresses from £360. She believes the fabric has taken off because people always react to seeing something new and unexplored — girls at Paris fashion week were even seen clubbing with her £280 bikini tops worn under blazers with heels.

Surely we'd have to fulfil Size Zero criteria to squeeze into one of Fernandez's creations? On the contrary, she says — neoprene is springy enough that it hugs curves and gives a fantastic shape, giving Hervé Leger's body-con dress a run for its money. Better still, she admits there are other benefits: "My A-cup friends say it gives them a great cleavage, plus it's a look that works well in cities." Indeed, Peter Dundas took deep sea diving as his starting point for the neoprene, graphic-print scuba jacket which he designed for the Emilio Pucci SS10 collection, which would work surprisingly well with plain jeans.

But, as Fernandez says, as well as making bold statements, neoprene is exceptionally versatile, as shown by Lanvin's men's hi-top trainers (£250). Moreover, in the dawn of the Apple iPad, neoprene has spread to technology, too.

If you're brand-hungry, Fendi's bright pink iPhone carrier case retails for £35. Otherwise, John Roscoe Swartz, product designer and co-founder of BUILT neoprene accessories, who started out with a wine bottle tote range, quickly recognised that anyone with a £500 iPad would want to show it off — BUILT's dizzying array of multicoloured spots and stripes includes the Neoprene Envelope (£34.95).

Roscoe Swartz is convinced it will be a market hit: "Neoprene is an amazing material because it feels great, has a sculptural quality, and has endless pattern options. People naturally associate it with wetsuits, and that conjures up images of surfers and James Bond diving off yachts. But I'm confident that neoprene is a material that the UK will embrace, and a trend that will last."

Obviously, if you do intend to escape the city to catch some waves, Cynthia Rowley has designed a special multicoloured co-lab wetsuit collection for Roxy in Harrods — just don't go thinking it works with heels and a blazer.