Wearing red, white, and blue is one way to show your patriotic side this July 4th weekend. But you can also demonstrate your love of country – and style – by snapping up some of the best looks for summer by American designers. We’ve put together a weekend kit for the beach with labels based on these shores. The stories behind these brands – from Oscar de la Renta to Kiss My Face – are as varied as the country itself. Taken together, they make for a stylish salute to the inspired blend of creativity, determination, and free enterprise found in America.

1. TUMI, SMALL DUFFEL, $195, Tumi Store (Lexington Passage, 34 Grand Central Terminal, 212-973-0015, and multiple locations). Tumi was founded in 1975 by Charles Clifford, a graduate of Indiana University. After getting his M.B.A., Mr. Clifford spent two years in the Peace Corps in Peru, helping government agencies with economic development projects. He started up Tumi – named after a Peruvian god – as an importer of leather travel bags from Colombia. Located in South Plainfield, N.J., Tumi has grown into a leading luggage brand, with 47 freestanding stores around the world.

2. OSCAR DE LA RENTA , RED HORN SUNGLASSES with crystal logo, $130, Oscar de la Renta boutique (772 Madison Ave., 212-288-8210). At age 18, Oscar de la Renta left his home in the Dominican Republic to study painting but soon found himself sketching for top fashion houses in Spain and Paris. He came to New York to design for Elizabeth Arden and struck out on his own with his first ready-to-wear line in 1965. Since then, he has added perfume, home products, accessories, and a moderately priced sportswear line to his brand. In the process, Oscar de la Renta has become synonymous with American glamour.

3. NAUTICA , YELLOW AND BLUE SWIM TRUNKS for men, $42.50 Macy’s (151 West 34th St., 212-695-4400). Taiwanese immigrant David Chu founded Nautica in 1983 with a small collection of men’s outerwear. With designs that evoked yacht clubs and sandy cocktail hours, his New York City-based brand exploded into a line of brightly colored, masculine clothing. In 2003, Nautica was acquired by the VF Corporation, a major apparel company in South Carolina. The label continues to create clothing for men and women with a sun-kissed, sporty edge. This summer, Nautica swimwear can be found on the lifeguards in Southampton and the hard bodies on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.

4. POLO RALPH LAUREN , STRING BIKINI in six color choices with customized embroidered monogram or polo logo, $90 (only at www.polo.com). Ralph Lauren lived the American dream – and created the clothes in which to live it, too. Born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx in 1939, he dropped out of City College and never studied design or fashion, but nonetheless managed to create a mega-brand that defines youthful, American style. It all began 1967 with the launch of Polo neckties, followed a year later by a full line of menswear. In the decades since then, his brand turned out everything from gowns to bed sheets, from rugby shirts to customized string bikinis.

5. DR. SCHOLL ‘ S , ” FLATOUT ” SANDAL, $39.99 (www.drscholls.com). In 1904, William Mathis Scholl graduated from the Illinois Medical School (now Loyola University) and two years later founded a business selling orthopedic foot products of his own design. He launched a line of shoes in 1930 and created the famous wooden-soled “exercise sandal” in 1956. The sandal was introduced to the American market in 1968, and by 1972 1 million pairs were sold in America. Though the old-fashioned sandals are still made today, the brand has expanded into new and trendier territory.

6. LILLY PULITZER , STRAW SUN HAT with changeable printed sashes, $75, (www.lillypulitzer.com). It was 1960 when Lilly Pulitzer set up a juice stand in Palm Beach. Though the fresh-squeezed juices were a hit, the uniform she designed to hide the juice stains – a colorful shift dress – got all the attention. Sales of her pretty print dresses soon took over from the juices, and Ms. Pulitzer had a hit. The bright colorful prints became the signature look of wellheeled sophisticates. Ms. Pulitzer retired in 1984 and closed up shop, but Sugartown Worldwide Inc., located in King of Prussia, Pa., acquired the trademark and revived the beloved brand.

7. KISS MY FACE Sun screen SPF 18 with Oat Protein Complex, $10 and Sunswat combination bug repellent and SPF 15, $10 (Whole Foods, Ricky’s, and Vitamin Shoppes). Founders Bob MacLeod and Steve Byckiewicz were two plucky vegetarians living on an organic farm in upstate New York when they launched Kiss My Face in 1981. What began as a line of organic soaps has blossomed into a multimillion dollar brand of all-natural beauty products ranging from shampoo to deodorant. Kiss My Face is now the official sunscreen and moisturizer of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Teams. And it’s still based in Gardiner, N.Y.

8. SOFIA MINI SPARKLING BLANC DE BLANCS ($19.99 for a four-can pack) Union Square Wine & Spirits, 33 Union Square West, 212-675-8100). Director and producer Francis Ford Coppola has been making films for decades, but he has also been making wines in Napa Valley for more than 25 years. In 1975, he purchased part of the Niebaum Estate (think Inglenook) in Rutherford, Calif. Among his latest products is an easily portable sparkling wine – in cans. Made from a blend of Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscat Canelli, the bubbly (named for his daughter) can be sipped from special bendy straws attached to the cans. Here’s to summer!