As the weather warms up and fast fashion chains keep the flow of skimpy swimwear front and center, it’s hard to digest seeing bathing suits the price of a latte. When you consider the process of fiber to finished product, that suit hanging in your nearest Primark or H&M that goes for only a few bucks a piece, you’ve got to ask yourself how it could possibly be true.
With most bathing suits made from nylon (which is made from coal and oil), and not from plant based materials like cotton or hemp, the prices can be considerably cheaper to source but not that low.
Vaute Couture Founder, Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart says when it comes the price of a bathing suit, regardless of how little material it is made of, or what it is made of, it shouldn’t cost anywhere near $3-$4 for a top or bottom.
Vaute Couture, recently released a new collection of vegan swimwear featuring one- and two-piece swimsuits made from sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled carpet fibers, all cut and sewn in the New York City’s garment district. With an average price tag of $70 for a top or bottom and $150 for a one piece, Mai-ly Hilgart’s says the price is more than fair.
Speaking on shopping ethically on a frugal budget, which she’s done for years as a bootstrapped entrepreneur she says the idea of fairness and pricing can be looked at another way.