Catalina is one of the oldest apparel manufacturers in California and one of the best known names in the swimwear industry. The history began in 1907, as Bentz Knitting Mills, a small manufacturer of underwear and sweaters. The name was changed to Pacific Knitting Mills in 1912, accompanied by the introduction of swimwear to their existing knit lines. The third and final name change came in 1928, to Catalina as we know it today.

The earliest wool knit suits were patterned after a simple one-piece style introduced to the US by Australian swim star Annette Kellerman. In the 1920s, Catalina produced increasingly baring and fashionable swimwear, including the boldly striped Chicken Suit, men’s Speed Suit and Ribstitch “S” suits. With the rising glitz and glam of the silver screen in the 1930s, Catalina adopted the slogan “Styled for the Stars of Hollywood.” They added to the prestige by using Hollywood starlets, including Bette Davis, Joan Blondell and Olivia de Havilland, in their marketing campaigns. At the time, the average Catalina swimsuit retailed between five and ten dollars, equivalent to $110 - $185 today. Annette Kellerman Annette Marie Sarah Kellermann (born July 6, 1887 in Sydney – died November 5, 1975 in Southport, Australia) was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville and film star, writer, and advocate for the change of womens swimwear. ... For the singer, see Betty Davis, for the meteorologist, see Betty Davis (meteorologist). ... Blondell in Nightmare Alley (1947) Rose Joan Blondell (August 30, 1906 - December 25, 1979) was an Oscar-nominated American actress. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Catalina’s influence was also intertwined with the myth and icon of the Miss America Beauty Pageant. When they sponsored the contest in the 1940s, contestants wore essentially off-the-rack Catalina swimsuits, except the pageant suits had the flying fish logo on both hips instead of just one. They dropped sponsorship after the 1951 winner, Yolande Betbeze, refused to wear a Catalina suit for the traditional swimsuit tour. Catalina then went on to found the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants, co-sponsoring them for decades to follow. With this came a new slogan to emphasize their growing global awareness: “Around the world…it’s Catalina.” Should not be confused with Miss USA. Miss America contestants visit Andrews Air Force Base in 2003 The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus two territories of the United States of America. ... [[Image:MissUSA2007Crowned. ... Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 15-19. ... Miss Universe is an annual international female beauty contest, and the title for the winner of the contest, founded in 1952 by California clothing company Pacific Mills. ...

 In the 1960s, Catalina became a sister company to Cole of California, a swimwear manufacturer established in 1925. The duo later joined Authentic Fitness Corporation, a subsidiary of Warnaco Inc, in 1993. The merger created a super company of swim, active and fitness brands. The following year, with the rising importance of mass market retailers, the decision was made to offer Catalina to Wal-Mart stores across America. 

 Catalina also had an important prescence in South America, thru license agreements, specially Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, sponsoring the beauty pageants in these countries, with several contestants winning the Miss Universe event. Today the brand is manufactured in Brazil, and distributed in the Mercosul countries be Grupo Aguia, having recently re-newed the lincense agreement with the Warnaco Group. 

 Today, Catalina is part of the Warnaco Swimwear Group’s portfolio of highly recognized brand names including Speedo, Anne Cole, Nautica and Michael Kors, amongst others. It is expanding as a global brand, currently sold in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico and is pursuing opportunities in Europe and Australia. Catalina is predominantly women’s swimwear, including a rib suit known as the “Everybody Tank,” as well as Separates, Athletic and Maternity lines. In 2007, Catalina landed seventh on a list of top swimwear brands ranked by consumer awareness, as published in the Women’s Wear Daily’s 4th Annual Book of Lists. Catalina continues to pursue new and exciting opportunities while staying true to the essence of the brand: “Looking chic was never so practical.”