We’ve all been noticing the plastic upheaval that’s going on in the various corners of our planet. We’ve traded plastic straws for metal ones and plastic bags for compostable ones, which is great, but many of us probably need to reevaluate our clothing choices at large.
Much of what we’re hearing in a responsible fashion is mostly about the day-to-day clothing that we wear. While this is the most important aspect of sustainable fashion, since the use of this kind of clothing is the most, swimwear that is made sustainably is also becoming a thing – and to our joy! Swimwear is traditionally made out of a combination of materials, Spandex being one of them. Spandex, in addition to other synthetic fabrics, is responsible for releasing billions and billions of microplastics into our oceans!
Now, many new indie designers around the world are taking responsibility and removing the plastics from our oceans to create sustainable swimwear for those of us who love being in the ocean and empowering us to also preserve its natural wealth.
Australian native Steph Gabriel founded OceanZen in 2014 and was someone who was distraught with the negative impact that humans were having on the world’s marine life. It was with this discerning attitude towards making a real difference that Gabriel started this sustainable swimwear line made entirely of a revolutionary fabric that has been created from fishing nets and plastic waste. While living in Bali, Gabriel got in touch with a family-run manufacturing studio that runs all the production of the company to date and her team follows ethical business practices that include paying above standard fair trade wages. Also, the packaging is all compostable and the company ships using carbon-neutral services. As if this brand wasn’t getting enough of a good example for other brands to follow suit, or swimsuit rather, OceanZen also upcycles any unused or scrap fabric into scrunchies! Read more about Gabriel and the OceanZen story here.
Know of other sustainable swimwear brands or have ever used a sustainable swimwear? Let us know about your experience in the COMMENTS!
Happy Summer Shopping!