I Tried Out 4 Eco-friendly and Sustainable Swimsuits from 4 Different Companies. Here’s How They All Stack Up:
I love living in a world where eco-friendly fashion is suddenly oh-so-available. At the same time, I know that finding the perfect swimsuit can be a bit of an adventure—especially when it comes to shopping online. I can totally relate to that moment when you get a package on your doorstep, rip open the box, and then think “Oh no!”
I’ve been there.
That’s why I put together this post. Hopefully, it’ll help take the worry out of eco-swimwear shopping. Here’s my honest review on four of the most trending sustainable swim brands on the market—the review is complete with pros, cons, and more!
Summersalt:
Founders, Lori Coutler and Rashma Chattaram, started Summersalt with one beautiful intention—to help any woman return to the “days of child-like joy when you played with your swimsuit at the beach”. I love, love, love this whole concept. It’s takes such a stance against feeling self-conscious or oversexualized in a swimsuit. In general, Summersalt stands out in the marketplace for two things: First, they make crazy durable swimsuits (that are also nearly impossible to wrinkle) and second, they make swimsuits with a fantastic fit. In fact, Summersalt’s claim to fame is that they took 1.5 million measurements on 10,000 women to create swimwear that is actually comfortable. Their swimsuits also happen to be made out of recycled fabric. Hence, my review.
What I ordered | The Mesh Diver Bikini Top and The Mesh High Leg High Rise in solid blue.
What I Love About It | This crop top bikini is lovely and gives plenty of coverage, especially if you plant to wear it to a wet-and-sporty outing. I adore the racer back design and the mesh accents you’ll find on the shoulder, back, and bottoms. This swimsuit is a heck-o-comfortable, especially along the elastic seams. Plus, it has sewn in support, which means I didn’t have to hunt down and recenter some rogue padding after a tumble and a rumble in the water.
Good To Knows | The top does seem to run a bit larger than I expected (I ordered a size 6). The bottoms (I ordered a size 8) fit oh-so-swell. Summersalt does tout their swimsuits as super quick-dry options, I didn’t really notice too much of a difference between this one and the other brands’ suits I tried on.
Price | Under $100
Ethics | Summersalt’s tagline that “Every Body Is A Beach Body” is just a wonderful, refreshing message. Everything about the brand is super inclusive—the models are actually real women in a range of relatable sizes, ages, shapes, and more. I’m also huge fan of Summersalt’s #Powersuits campaign. The company designed five specific “power” swimsuits after a colab with five, inspiring, female activists. You can read all about the campaign here. Summersalt also donates lightly damaged and returned product to international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization. I reached out to the company to gather a bit more information about the manufacturing process and if workers are treated fairly. I haven’t heard back yet. Fingers crossed they are a bit more transparent about these topics on their website soon.
Sustainability | Summersalt makes their swimsuits out of 78% recycled polyamide. The polymide is made from recycled plastics, post-consumer materials, and nylon waste—like old fishing nets. The nets and plastics are pulled from earth’s oceans, which is pretty neato. The bag Summersalt ships your swimsuit in, is made from recycled material and is also 100% recyclable. Summersalt’s hang tags and brand swag are also made out of recycled materials. The company actively triees to reduce their carbon foortprint by refusing to use corrugated packaging in production, raw materials or any of their air freight processes.
WDLK (Woodlike Ocean):
When you think of WDLK, think feminine, detail-focused, and eco-friendly. Sonja and Mauricio Palma (wife and husband founders) first met on Oahu’s North Shore—they have been obsessed with helping restore Earth’s oceans ever since. Sonja (born in Germany) had been sewing her own swimsuits for a handful of years, but recently, she and Mauricio turned her side-project passion into a profession with the WDLK launch.
What I ordered | The Coral Bustier Top and the Cloe Hipster Reversible in the White Bird print.
What I Love About It | The bikini top is wire-free and wonderfully comfy. It’s got an underbust band—that gives just enough lift. The knotted wide shoulder straps are ultra feminine and feel luxe. The hipster bottoms are reversible (you can either show the all-black or the bird print side). I appreciate that the hipster bottoms definitely give you a bit more coverage and are a true mid-rise. The bottoms feel just ideal for my sun-loving, post-baby body.
Good To Knows | Order your WDLK suit well in advance. Each suit ships from Germany, and it can take quite sometime before it arrives in the mail. Mine took about nine days. Is it worth the wait? Yes!
Price | $200+
Ethics | WDLK suits are responsibly sewn in Turkey.
Sustainability | Each WDLK suit is made from 78% regenerated Italian nylon. The fabric is regenerated mostly from old fishing nets and recycled carpets. The company also supports the Healthy Seas Initiative by giving back 1% For The Planet. Also, WDLK ships your swimsuit to you in this amazing compostable satchel, called the “Dirtbag” that will fully biodegrade in 3-6 months in your own home compost. Any other of their packaging, printed forms, stickers and hang tags are made from recycled and eco-certified materials.
Alyned Together:
Alyned Together is a women-owned company that’s oh-so-new to the swim scene. If you are looking for vivacious and vibrant prints, look no further. Because of the nature of recycled fabrics, it’s far more common to only use solid colored fabric (which goes to explain why Summersalt often uses block colors on their suits) but Alyned remedies issue that by consistently working with textile scientists to find ecofriendly fabrics that’ll hold a bright print.
What I ordered | The Mona One Piece in the Garden Floral print.
What I Love About It | The inside of this swimsuit is luxuriously soft. Imagine your comfiest pair of yoga pants and you’ll almost get the idea. I also love how you can up (or down play) the sexy factor of this suit with the snaps alone. The side striped accent is delightfully on trend. Oh, and you can wear it with pride, knowing that 11 plastic bottles were recycled to make this single swimsuit.
You can also get a matching sustainable set in Garden Floral too for your kiddo here. I’m kinda obsessed with how cute a mommy-daughter photoshoot with these suits could be.
Good To Knows | As far as I could tell, the bag the swimsuit was shipped in wasn’t an eco-friendly option. Which was a bit unfortunate. The cups in this swimsuit are adjustable and removable, which can be a pro or a con depending on your preferences. This one piece is subtly high cut on the leg (I loved the look) but it’s good to know if you are expecting a more traditional line.
Price | Under $70
Ethics | Alyned Together supports some wonderful movements. Recently, they partnered and showed their support with For All Womankind and the 2019 Women’s March. Alyned Together also joined forces with body-positivity activist Khrystyana, you can check out the inspiring images of Alyned’s swimsuits on Khrystyana’s REAL Catwalk here. Alyned Together believes in all-inclusive styles and sizing. Their women’s pieces ranging from XS to 3X. They also make a significant effort to be extra inclusive with their swimsuit models as well—I think they really nailed it! Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of transparency about their manufacturing ethics. I started a chat with the company to see if I can learn more. I’ll update soon.
Sustainability | Alyned Together’s bathing suits are all made from around 82% recycled polyester (gathered from plastic bottles) and elastane. The company also does some great on-the-ground work by hosting cleanups on their favorite beaches at a local level. You can catch their next beach clean up by following #AlynedWithUs.
prAna:
Back in 1990’s, prAna founders, Pam and Bever Theodosakis, gathered their neighbors’ old newspapers and upcycled them into branded hang tags and gift wrapping. That spirit of recycling runs deep, and it lives on today in prAna’s swimline. Besides being both Fair Trade and Ecofriendly, prAna stands out in my mind becuase of it’s expansive print collection. You can get the same Peach Bonita print in six different swim tops and four differently cut bottoms. You want a cheeky cut bottom with a full coverage halter top? They’ve got it. You can also get the same print in a cover up and a shirt. It makes for some easy-peasy matching.
What I ordered | Vivr Reversible Bikini Top and Raya Bottom in the Peach Bonita print.
What I Love About It | The Raya Bottoms are really what sold me on this swimsuit—they are perfect for an active day on a boat. I wore the shorts while paddle boarding, lake surfing, and playing on the beach with baby R. The shorts are cut on angle which makes them especially flattering on the thighs. I also appreciate how the Vivr reversible top is a bit longer than your traditional bikini top. Honestly, everything about this prAna swimsuit feels oh-so-quality.
Good To Knows | When PrAna described this top as “minimal support” they meant it. The Vivr top doesn’t have any padding at all. I was so surprised! If you wear this in cold water you’ll want to be a bit more (cough, cough) alert. If you want padding, you’ll want to order a non-reversible option, like this one.
Price | Under $125
Ethics | prAna was the first North American apparel brand to produce Fair Trade Certified™ clothing, and their swimsuit line followed suit (pun intended). You can really delve into all their Fair Trade details here.
Sustainability | I heart prAna’s bluesign program. It basically makes sure that chemicals, people, environment, and factories are managed in the most ethical and eco-friendly way possible. The program covers everything from raw materials to shipping. The mailer the swimsuit is shipped in is made from recyclable material and is recyclable as well. As far as the swimsuit fabric itself, I recently discovered that the type of print influences the level of recycled fabric that can be used. If you order the solid colored swimsuits then it uses 78% ECONYL Recycled Nylon. The Kona print uses 78% Recycled Polyester and the Bonita print uses 80% Nylon. Blush, next time I’ll make sure to opt for the solid print instead.
Do you have a brand of sustainable or ethical swimwear you swear by? I want to hear about it! Message us on Insta or share your thoughts.
XOXO,
Lemon
