Pageant Press

Swimwear maker got no buzz from links to Miss America

It's time to pass the crown: After just a year as an official sponsor for the Miss America Pageant, Venus Swimwear has pulled the plug on its sponsorship of one of the most well-known competitions in the beauty circuit...

"Miss America is a great organization, but we considered the pageant to be a promotional vehicle for us," said Daryle Scott, the company's founder and chief executive officer. "But the pageant would have played a more noticeable role if we had a greater reach with a multitude of stores. We come from a catalog background, and we know that works."

Art McMaster, the Miss America chief executive officer, told the Times-Union last January that Venus was chosen for its noticeably sexier styles, a big departure from the sportier, modest suits from the previous sponsor, Speedo. The edgier designs were more in tune with the modern viewer, he said. The 2008 pageant will feature a markedly smaller swimwear company: Former Miss America contestant Sueanne Winn will design the swimwear under her label Winnwear.

...there's always a chance Venus will return to Miss America next year, Scott said. "We had a great relationship, and there are no hard feelings," he said. "But for now, we had to stand down."

Click the link above for the complete article; as mentioned above, this year's contestants will be outfitted with WinnWear swimsuits.