We all know that fashion is an extremely polluting industry, with swimwear being a particularly bad culprit – pieces are often made from synthetic and non-biodegradable materials because they stretch and dry well. However, there are swim brands who take sustainability seriously by using innovative recycled materials and ethical manufacturing processes. Here are six of our fave sustainable swimsuits, perfect for your next wild swimming dip…
Youswim
Youswim specialises in high quality, ethically produced swimwear, made and packed in England using European-sourced materials. This Eva seamless ribbed one piece stretches to fit seven sizes, so you can adjust it for the coverage you want.
£105
youswim.com
Hunza G
Hunza G is known for its crinkle material and you get all that plus leopard print with this Athena suit. All Hunza G production is done in the UK and each piece is made to order to limit deadstock fabric and unsold garments.
£130
hunzag.com
Stay Wild Swim
Stay Wild is helping fight the scourge of plastic in our oceans with their eco-friendly swimwear made from called ECONYL, a yarn crafted from regenerated fishing nets collected from the ocean. This Lunar one-piece is flattering, sculpting and made in London.
£160
staywildswim.com
Ayla
Ayla swimwear is made with recycled materials – either ECONYL or Repreve, another type of recycled nylon – and in small quantities at its boutique factories in Bali. The fabric of this Savannah suit is also chlorine resistant and has UV protection.
£135
aylaswim.com
Reformation
Reformation is known for its sustainable production and minimising its water, waste and energy usage. The same applies to Ref Swim – not only are garments like the Wave one piece made from ECONYL, you can see what resources were offset during its production.
£106
thereformation.com
Mara Hoffman
Mara Hoffman swimwear, including this Desa suit, is also made using ECONYL (the company estimates they’ve diverted over 17,000 lbs of waste from landfill since 2017 through the use of ECONYL) and manufactured in Los Angeles.
£255
marahoffman.com
More Than Swim
More Than Swim is committed to sustainability as well as empowering women, with all swimwear printed and handmade to order in the UK to reduce waste. The prints are inspired by endangered species, so expect a red snake print one piece and leopard print bikinis.
From £98
morethanswim.com