8 Sustainable Swimwear Brands That You’ll Absolutely Love
Want to both look incredible on your next beach vacation while also doing good for the planet? These 8 sustainable swimwear brands are a win-win for you AND the environment.
Why Sustainable Swimwear?
As you may know, the clothes we buy from fast fashion brands are doing more harm to the environment than they should.
Of course, it’s always an amazing feeling to find a cute new swimsuit to wear on vacation. But how ironic is it that we often wear things to the ocean that have actually added to their pollution?
These super cute alternatives are eco-friendly options that’ll both make you look incredible and make for a purchase that you can feel good about.
So without further adieu, here they are!
Of all the sustainable swimwear brands I’ve found, Mara Hoffman just might be my favorite. Not only do they use eco-friendly fabrics, but they also do regular in-person factory visits. That way, they make sure that everyone in their supply chain is being treated fairly.
Given the fact that the fabrics are sustainable and the workers are treated fairly, these swimsuits are slightly on the pricier side. But, they’re super cute and have a crazy amount of options! All of that, to me, totally makes the price worth it.
Another great thing I’ve noticed about this brand is they’re inclusive of all ages and races and their photos don’t seem to be heavily photoshopped at all. Even stretch marks aren’t edited out, which I absolutely love!
Also, Mara Hoffman is not just a swimwear brand. They make clothes and outerwear as well, and they have plus-sized options! Honestly, there’s nothing I can find about this brand that I don’t like. 😍
Definitely a brand to keep in mind for capsule wardrobe items!
What I love about Vitamin A is that they have such high-quality, timeless swimwear options. There are definitely a few trendy items to choose from, but most of their pieces have a more classic yet stylish look to them.
That makes these swimsuits great ones to invest in because they’re super interesting design-wise but they won’t go out of style any time soon.
Again, their prices are on the higher side as well. However, that’s justified by the fact that they use sustainable fabrics and closely monitor the treatment of their workers.
They actually make most of their products right in California. And, for the items that can’t be made there, they only partner with fair trade artisans to make sure everything is created ethically.
Now that’s the kind of retail therapy I can get behind!
Cantik Swimwear has the lowest prices of all the sustainable brands I’ve discovered. And yet, their values seem incredibly important to them, especially when it comes making a positive impact on the environment and on global supply chains.
They make these super cute (and feminine and sexy) swimsuits to feature the female form. There’s a lot of quality detailing and “daring cuts” as they like to put it.
These swimsuits will definitely turn heads and make you feel incredible!
What I love about the founder of Cantik Swimwear is that she studied Environmental Humanities and Development, with a focus on the rights and autonomy of workers in Indonesia. And, regular visits are made to the factory to make sure workers are being treated in the best way possible.
So if you’re looking for sustainability, ethical treatment and a great bang for your buck, this is the perfect place to buy from!
I’m incredibly impressed by all that Raw X Salt does in terms of the ethical treatment of their workers and their efforts toward sustainability. There isn’t as large a selection here as some of the other brands. However, the quality of their products and transparency about their supply chain makes Raw Salt a great brand to support!
Check out their Values page to read about all the great things they do.
But to sum it up: they use regenerated fabrics, employ Balinese workers who get medical benefits and double the usual legal amount and can work their way up the career ladder, they use eco-friendly dyes, avoid single-use plastic in packaging, and use carbon-neutral delivery methods.
And on top of all that, their swimsuits are beautifully-designed, timeless pieces that flatter a woman’s body.
My favorite thing about Unika Swim is the total transparency behind the brand. If you head to their About page, you’ll get to see their entire team!
The founder of this brand, Betsy Campos, was born in Canada but has Brazilian heritage. Her swimwear and fabrics were inspired by her summers there and the unique women whose personalities would shine through in their swimwear.
Betsy’s hope is that the women in her swimwear will feel confident and enjoy them as much as she did in designing them.
In terms of sustainability, their fabrics are made of 100% regenerated nylon yarn made from waste collected from the ocean. Everything is made-to-order, meaning there’s no leftover dead stock from past seasons.
Plus, scrap fabrics are used to make all sorts of other things like swim bags and scrunchies!
You can also rest assured that they’re made ethically, since everything is made by hand at their storefront in Canada. Love it!
What’s great about Julienne is that they have super fun and flattering designs at pretty affordable prices. They have a range of solid and printed fabrics–all of which are timeless pieces meant to make you look amazing.
They use the same regenerated fabric that a couple of the other brands I’ve mentioned do.
Something really special about Juliene, however, is how transparent they are about their supply chain. All you’ve gotta do is go to their Instagram or their sustainability page to get to see the people behind the designs. They even share behind the scenes videos of the production process on social media. How cool is that??
They also use biodegradable/recyclable packaging and donate part of each purchase to Bali Wise, an organization empowering marginalized women in Indonesia.
I have to say that I’m blown away by the amount of time, effort and love that Indigo Luna puts into their production process.
This brand takes the terms “sustainable” and “ethical” to whole new levels, by ensuring that no one and nothing is harmed in the making of their products.
Something really unique about Indigo Luna (aside from the regenerated fabrics), is that they only use natural plant dyes on their fabrics. That means the dyeing process doesn’t expose the environment or the workers to harmful chemicals. And best of all, any waste is then plant waste that is composted.
Read more about the process and their values here.
They also clearly care about their workers and ensure that they get adequate healthcare, above living wage and safe/comfortable working conditions.
Lastly, their designs are beautiful, wearable and very reasonably-priced. Plus, they also sell yogawear, intimates, accessories and linens.
Ohoy is another great brand for timeless, quality swimwear pieces. They have a focus on Scandinavian simplicity and sustainability, using regenerated fabrics from discarded nylons like fishing nets that were collected from the sea.
Another great thing about Ohoy is that they give 1% of every purchase to Healthy Seas, an organization supporting the recovery of nets by volunteer divers.
Manufacturing is done in a small family-owned factory in Sri Lanka. To ensure that working conditions are comfortable, Ohoy’s team actually spends lots of time going to the factory to check on their workers and the production process.
As for their swimsuits, Ohoy is great for beautiful basics that’ll last you a lifetime!
I hope you like these sustainable swimwear options!
Hopefully you’ll consider one of these sustainable brands next time you’re shopping for vacation. If you do, I’d love to hear about your thoughts and experience.
And if you have any other favorite sustainable swimwear brands, feel free to let me know and I’ll make a new list.
Don’t want to buy anything but still want a new swimsuit?
If you’re up for it, another option aside from buying swimwear is to make it yourself! Not only is it better for the environment, but it’s a super rewarding feeling wearing something you made.
If you’re interested in making your own swimwear, get started by checking out my tutorials here.
Thanks for reading and see you next time!
Love, Emily