London, April 24: It’s a design for the really slim or really brave woman — ultra low-rise jeans with a built-in bikini or thong.

The Brazilian-made trousers would not look out of place among the bronzed bodies on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro but their effect on the British high street has yet to be seen. The jeans sit extremely low on the hip and leave little to the imagination. The tight-fitting garments are held up by the elasticated black thong or denim bikini ribbon, tied at the side.

Sandra Tanimura, a designer from the clothing company Sanna, came up with the idea after customers asked for ever lower trousers but then had difficulty keeping them up. She said: “We specialise in making low-rise trousers and our customers wanted them to get even lower. It was very difficult meeting these demands without the trousers falling down. I came up with the idea of using the bikini strings to let the trousers hang really low without falling.”

Sanna makes its products in Brazil but sells most of its clothing in Japan. The jeans cost £45 and are available online.