It doesn’t matter if you are looking for tiny bikinis, high-waisted separates or one pieces, these summer you will look wonderful and trendy, on the beach, in the swimming pool and even in the streets. As swimwear continues to rule the runways in the form of outerwear, you can use your swimwear more than never before Yes, yes… Chanel and Gucci want us to wear Swimwear as Daywear.
We find four trends in the swimwear universe of 2018: a tribute to graphics and geometric patterns, seduction originates from sport energy, nature explosion in its full power and nomad, rebellious and adventurous. We explain here a little bit of each one!
A tribute to graphics and geometric patterns makes surfaces alive and lives where nothing looks as taken for granted. The source is minimalistic and unconventional, sometimes audacious. Micro and macro motifs are wisely balanced to make spaces more lively and vital. And a sophisticated kind of luxury is reached through the wise development of the most unusual geometries.
Seduction originates from sport energy represents a sophisticated interpretation borrowed from the technical universe. Minimal graphics, color blocks or small and nearly unnoticeable all-overs leave room to the performances of fabrics. Cuts are simple. Bikinis and one-piece bathing suits are inspired by water and beachwear sports.
Nature explosion in its full power. Flora and fauna prints with saturated and majestic tones go ahead. A color universe seemingly crying out in joy. The place is just a symbol but details come across and draw attention thanks to their definition and content. Very precious paintings are capable of enchanting even the most distracted viewer.
Nomad, rebellious and adventurous. It represents a journey to faraway sun-burnt lands, a voyage to the discovery of signs and patterns borrowed from remote universes; the breathing of a distant world, the thrill of freedom, the deepest wish for exploration and knowledge. Seemingly impossible encounters arise from this idea as shy or audacious ‘mix and match’ however originating from sublime and sometimes disrespectful combinations and blending. Gipsy prints and abstract patterns blend with stripes and floral motifs.
With all this knowledgment in mind, we start to search the most dream-worthy swimwear of this year, looking for those who fix to the next trends and to our body.
Swim Amara, designed and made in Tulum by local artisans, is made up of recycled nylon recovered from our oceans through the Healthy Seas Project as well as Xtralife Lycra for a bikini that’s built to last. The collection is minimalist at heart and want to teach the world to do more with less. That’s why all the styles are reversible and sometimes convertible too.
Lisa Jackson, CEO and Creative Director of Amara tells us about her label. “It cares about the planet and believes ethical fashion isn’t optional – it’s imperative. That’s why we’re committed to finding ethical & sustainable solutions across all aspects of our brand. Our fabric is manufactured in a green energy facility that works to reduce pollution, protect green spaces, preserve water, and monitor gas emissions”.
The swimwear of All Sisters get us crazy. All Sisters is a Barcelona-based, eco-friendly swimwear brand that uses the highest quality of recycled fabrics to create its high-end swimsuits, taking into account the needs of the modern woman who loves fashion and sports.
“Staying faithful to our commitment with ethical and sustainable fashion design, we utilize high quality recycled textiles from Italy that carry the Made in Green by OEKO-TEX certification, guaranteeing that they are tested for harmful substances and are made in environmentally friendly facilities and socially responsible workplaces”
Underprotection is a Danish brand based in Copenhagen and founded in 2010. They only use very soft and delicate fabrics for their styles and it’s important for them that it also stays like that efter several washes. Each material they use is unique and has its own different qualities and reasons for being sustainable. For instance, they use the banana fabric, made from banana leaf, which is a sustainable fabric. The banana plants rarely require fertilizers or pesticides and are therefore very eco-friendly. The fibres are primarily waste elements of the farmers’ leftover stalks from banana plants and are processed into fibers after they have been harvested for food. They also use Lyocell, milk fibers, organic cotton and recycled polyester.
All the styles are made in New Delhi India and in collaboration with the small factory Fashion Forte. The factory is owned by a young visionary woman Charita. In 2013 they obtained the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) young designer license.
MagdakineDesigns’s swimwear uses fabric that is made with ECONYL® Fiber fishing nets from the sea floor and turns them into durable swimwear fabric. They then create and print their own designs on the recycled fabric with the help from a company on the east coast of the United States. We asked the company to choose for us its best swimwear and they chose San Sebastian bikini, set in Ohia Lehua print. It is pretty beautiful, yes…but you know what? It is also reversible! “The flower shown on our San Sebastian bikini is a species native and very sacred to Hawaii, called the Ohia Lehua flower. Sadly, the Ohia Lehua species is currently facing a population decline due to a fast spreading disease that has already wiped out entire forests in Hawaii….
In terms of ethical fashion, all of Magdakine Designs’s products are sewn domestically at a family-owned-and-operated factory in California, USA. After purchase the bikini is shipped in poly mailers made from recycled materials, offer two adhesive strips for reusing, and are also recyclable! This is unlike all other poly mailers on the market today. We continue to make donations to various nonprofits quarterly depending on what prints are purchased, and are always striving to implement new ways to make our swimwear even more sustainable. A perfect blend of sustainable luxury and environmental activism, MagdakineDesigns bikinis are made for the eco-elegant goddess. Magdakine Designs’s wants to offer all our reader temporary free international shipping code. If you are interested, please feel free to leave us a comment above.
Araks is committed to making quality garments that are meant to last. Each new season is designed with the intention of women purchasing pieces to complement the ones they already have, not replace them. Araks uses organic fabric when possible and produce garments locally. Araks’ factory is based in NYC to support the garment industry there and to avoid the carbon footprint associated with shipping from overseas.
Also, Araks supports and monitors fair treatment of all of our workers, recycles and resells all unused fabric and donates a portion of sales throughout the year to support initiatives across the globe, including Planned Parenthood and Sierra Club
Araks has management procedures in place to avoid overproduction and waste. Araks is constantly working towards and looking at ways to manufacture products using sustainable practices.
Koru Swimwear is inspired by the Kiwi lifestyle, best described as a relaxed attitude with a love of the environment and great outdoors. Founder, Julie Stine, wanted to share her Kiwi heritage with others around the world by epitomizing the active Kiwi lifestyle into earth-friendly swimwear and apparel that offers environmentally conscious women a combination of fashion and function.
The company aspires to be a leader in eco-responsible manufacturing practices by using only sustainable fabrics. “Our swimwear fabric comes from the Italian company Carvico / Jersey Lomellina, a Green Vision company making efforts to reduce and prevent pollution associated with textile manufacturing. They are also proactive in giving back to the environment through tree planting and water conservation programs they implement throughout the year” – tells Julie.
Koru Swimwear uses only swimwear fabric derived from 100% regenerated polyamide made by ECONYL®. ECONYL® works in partnership with HealthySeas.org to use discarded fishing nets pulled from our oceans to make the regenerated yarn in our fabrics.
Koru Swimwear and apparel are assembled only in factories where fair wages and working conditions are standardized by strict laws. We believe in happy employees, whether they work directly with Koru Swimwear or our business partners. We want good karma to go into our products, so that people feel good about purchasing Koru and the way we bring our swimwear and apparel to market.
With this concern in mind, I started to create recycled bikinis using eco-friendly fabrics (made from ocean waste, fishing nets and recycled plastic bottles) and established my production in Portugal, a country famous for its high quality textile production and strict laws against child labour, which is still a major problem within the fashion industry and an important concern for me.
At Finch Designs, they firmly believe in closing the loop on waste, fashionably. Since 2010, they have taken on the never-ending challenge of producing sustainable swimwear with as little waste and environmental impact as possible. “Our gorgeous swimwear for women, kids and men is made exclusively from Repreve™ recycled PET bottles. Our suits and rash guards also offer complete UPF 50+ sun protection, without any added chemicals. Our unique travel-inspired signature prints are loved all over the world by eco-conscious global travelers” – say Itee Soni and Heather Kaye, co-founders of this wonderful label.
The bikinis and crops from Liar The Label are all made in Australia as the founders feel it is important not to lose a vital skill and industry locally. They also think it is important to reduce the carbon footprint. They are made from a recycled polyester made from recycled plastic bottles waste. “It is an amazing fabric that does not feel, look, fit differently to mainstream swimsuits. But one advantage is we are not producing new polyester from synthetics that is at the end of the day going to end up in the waste” – tells us Nisha Abey, founder of the label.
Andrea Salinas is the Creative Director of Now_Then, an Ecoluxe swimwear brand which is inspired by the Ocean and aim for new adventures. They produce handmade swimwear pieces made from eco-friendly and recycled fabrics as well as ecoprene wetsuits.
VAUTE (“Haute” + V for Vegan) is a vegan fashion brand, founded with a mission of taking animals out of the fashion equation, by creating something better, using innovative, high-tech, sustainable textiles, cut and sewn in NYC’s garment district with love. “We are the first vegan label to show at New York Fashion Week, as one of the most innovative businesses in NYC BusinessInsider”- speaks the company. Based in Brooklyn, with a Flagship store in LES of Manhattan, they want to disrupt the fashion industry.
“We work with the best high-tech mills around the world using organic and recycled fibers to create textiles that are innovative and brilliant. We combine them to create shockingly warm coats, beautiful gowns, comfiest sweaters, and sweet swimsuits. We aren’t perfect, but we do our best every day to make this world better and speak up for those who cannot”.