Ethical And Sustainable Swimwear Brands To Support All Year Round
Whilst we’ve got an ethical brand directory that makes it easy to find anything you’re looking for, and an online store if you’re based in New Zealand or Australia to discover ethical and sustainable brands, we’ve also put together a list of some of the best Australian, New Zealand and United States-based brands providing conscious consumers with sustainable swimwear that doesn’t compromise on ethics or aesthetics. That’s what we love to hear. Oh, and don’t forget to take your eco-friendly sunglasses and sustainable hats with you!
Whilst we’ve got an ethical brand directory that makes it easy to find anything you’re looking for, we’ve also put together a list of some of the best Australian, New Zealand and United States-based brands providing conscious consumers with sustainable swimwear that doesn’t compromise on ethics or aesthetics. That’s what we love to hear. Oh, and don’t forget to take your PALA Eyewear sunglasses or Good Citizen sunglasses, sustainable hats, and People of the Earth’s sustainable sun protection with you!
A word on fabrics: although these brands understand that micro-plastic shedding is a very real issue, their commitment to utilising fabrics created from ocean waste (including ECONYL and REPREVE) is completely commendable, and we wholly support progress over perfection.
Australia-based
INA SWIM
Size Range | 8-12
Product Range | One pieces, bikinis
Ina Swim is an Australia-based ethical swimwear and apparel brand with an inherent commitment to environmentally and socially responsible production.
Ina Swim’s sustainable swimwear and clothing is not only crafted with both timeless and practical design in mind, but is also created in such a way that cares for the earth on which it was made and the individuals who bring it to life.
The sustainable swimwear for women and children is ethically-made in a factory in Indonesia that meets the requirements of Ina Swim’s code of conduct. What’s more is the materials used to create the apparel include natural, sustainable, recycled, biodegradable and eco-friendly fabric, and the swimwear is made using a UPF50+ material that is two times more resistant to chlorine, sunblock and oils.
So, if you’ve been on the hunt for swimwear that doesn’t cost people or the planet to make, look no further: Ina Swim is the brand for you.
Read up on Ina Swim, meet found Selina and shop Ina Swim (and use the code ‘EME10’ for 10% off your order).
Hakea
Size range | 6-16
Product range | One pieces, bikinis, rash guards
Hakea, named after an Australian native plant famous for its beauty and extreme resilience, is a sustainable swimwear company making waves in the Australian fashion scene. The unique colours and the timeless cuts synonymous with the Hakea name are proving impossible to ignore, and have appeared on the cover of Vogue Living and in Creators Magazine.
Hakea’s creator, Casey, was a graphic designer in a former life, and spent her free time chasing swell and adventure. On her travels, however, she could never quite find that practical, comfortable and ethically made bathers that fit her personal style just as much as it fit her figure. So what did she do? She decided to make her own, and to build a company based on small scale production, made to last pieces, plastic free packaging, and environmental care.
If you’re looking for surfsuits, or sustainably made rash shirts or flattering one pieces or bikinis that look just as great together as they do mix and matched, then Hakea is for you.
Read up on Hakea and meet Hakea’s founder Casey Eastwell, and shop Hakea’s ethical swimwear (use the code ‘EME10’ for 10% off your first order. You’re welcome).
Shapes in the Sand
Size range | 6-16
Product range | One pieces, bikinis, rash guards
Shapes in the Sand is an Australian-based label completely focused on creating swimwear that’s sustainable, and also to diversity—so much so that their name is a direct reflection of this. Shapes In The Sand is a representation of women in all their glorious shapes and sizes, and it “symbolises how nature is imperfectly, perfect”.
Shapes In The Sand is conscious of doing their part to keep nano plastics—tiny debris that enters our seas from our washing machines—out of the ocean; they’ve made their swimwear using the highest quality tight knit fabrications, and their website also provides their customers with how to keep these plastics from entering the big blue.
ECONYL and EVO are two of this company’s fabrics of choice. ECONYL is yarn regenerated from ocean waste, and EVO is 100% bio-based, with its yarn being made from the oil of the castor bean.
Shapes In The Sand also works incredibly closely with a local manufacturer, combat wastage by turning leftover fabrics remnants into accessories, and only pack their orders into recycled, recyclable, reusable or sustainably sourced packaging options. Even their water-soluble hygiene liners will protect you from any potential infections when trying on their swimwear, are made using wood pulp, and have been dyed with non-toxic inks.
Salt Gypsy
Size range | XS-XL
Product range | Surfwear, accessories
Salt Gypsy originally started as a blog when its founder, Danny, was working as a surf guide in the Maldives. Yeah, we’re jealous too. Danny wanted a pair of surf leggings that were simple, sustainable and suitable for the swells, so she created one herself.
The Salt Gypsy products are produced with boutique production teams on the Gold Coast. Before old mate COVID, the Salt Gypsy team was regularly able to visit their factories and meet the women who create their garments, though the manufacturer still pays above award wages (to the predominantly older female workers, might we add).
What’s more is ECONYL®, their fabric of choice, is a regenerated material made from discarded ocean plastics and fishing nets that is UPF 50+, resilient against chlorine, and is essentially five times stronger than standard fabrics. It’s basically the Wonder Woman of the regenerated-ocean-waste-fabrics world.
So, if you’re in the market for some sustainable surfwear, check out Salt Gypsy. Trust us on this one.
Read up on Salt Gypsy and shop Salt Gypsy’s sustainable surfwear (and take your 10% off code, EME10, with you).
Wildflower
Size range | S-L
Product range | Bikinis, one pieces, accessories
Wildflower is an Australian company ethically producing fashion and swimwear in a sustainable way. Wildflower’s founder, Angela Flower, is no stranger to the downfalls of the conventional fashion industry; having worked in swimwear manufacturing for the majority of her career, Angela saw firsthand the devastating effects fast fashion is having on our planet and its people. So, she decided to do something about it.
Every single one of the Wildflower garments (including the beautiful sustainable swimwear) is ethically made, cut, printed and developed right here in Australia by individual specialists, not in factories. These machinists (who, might we add, are also women), have been operating their very own businesses for decades, and as such choose their own hours and rates. The majority of Wildflower’s textile supply chain is traceable and accredited, and 100% of their garment manufacturing is also traceable, sustainable and ethical.
What’s more is “in the interest of animals and the environment”, Wildflower is a 100% vegan brand. By the end of 2021, Wildflower will be releasing a collection of handbags made from plant based non synthetic vegan materials including cactus leather and apple leather. Oh, and in true Wildflower style, this collection will be sampled, developed and hand-crafted in Australia.
Wildflower is committed to responsible production, minimal waste, ethical manufacturing, giving back to the community and only using plant based non synthetic vegan materials, which essentially makes this incredible Australian company one we can wholeheartedly get behind.
Read up on Wildflower shop Wildflower’s ethically made bathers, and dive deeper into this epic Australian swimwear company.
Swimm
Size range | XS – XL
Product range | Bikinis, one piece
Swimm is an Australian sustainable swimwear label producing high-quality bikini tops, bottoms, and one-pieces from eco-friendly merino wool fabric.
Swimm bypasses the conventional plastic-based swimwear fabrics and instead uses high-quality eco-friendly merino wool to craft their sustainable bikinis and one piece. The specific wool material used for the Swimm garments comes from high-quality wool from an RWS Responsible Wool Standards accredited farm and is knitted by an ethically accredited textile mill in Victoria.
This sustainable swimwear is also crafted in an environmentally and socially responsible way. The bikini tops, bottoms, and one pieces are manufactured in Melbourne by an independently contracted female seamstress who sets her own prices for all aspects of the production – from the pattern-making through to the cutting and sewing of the Swimm garments – but she also works within her own space and time frame.
What’s more, in order to combat unnecessary wastage and to ensure a high-quality product, the Swimm swimwear is mindfully made in small batches. As for the packaging, Swimm prioritizes plastic-free materials, choosing instead to use 100% recyclable, biodegradable and compostable packaging.
Read up on Swimm, and shop Swimm sustainable swimwear (and take your $10 off using EME10 with you).
New Zealand-based
Seer & Wilde
Size range | S-XL
Product range | Bikinis, one pieces
New Zealand based brand Seer & Wilde is wholly focused on mindfully ethically producing timeless sustainable bikinis, one pieces and resort essentials. Ashleigh Sweden, Seer and Wilde’s founder, created the brand as a vehicle through which women could feel heard and supported, and to be their authentic and true selves – we all know clothes empower, and this was exactly Ashleigh’s intention.
With this, she did not want to compromise on her own personal values regarding people and the planet, which is why she incorporated them into the crux of her business’ ethos. As a way to “design pieces that were gentle on our bodies, and gentle on the earth”, Ashleigh only selects fabrics made entirely from natural sources or regenerated from man-made waste in her collections.
The materials used to craft the Seer & Wilde’s swimwear are ECONYL, a regenerated nylon made from both post-consumer and ocean waste, and REPREVE, a fibre made from plastic water bottles; and cotton, organic cotton, linen, and hemp are Seer & Wilde’s all natural fabrics of choice for their garments. Seer and Wilde also use Corozo buttons – a durable, 100% natural product – on their garments; only utilise eco-certified dyes; and send their goodies out in biodegradable mailer bags and biodegradable ziplock bags.
Read up on Seer & Wilde and shop Seer & Wilde’s sustainable swimwear (and use the code ‘EME10’ for 10% off your first order. You’re welcome).
