Stage 1: Raw Materials
Plastic bottles from domestic recycling collection are processed into new nylon and polyester fiber in a state-of-the-art green facility in the USA. This facility has the highest standards for their employees and the environment, and carries several certifications including the Global Recycle Standard (GRS). They also created U TRUST®, a comprehensive certification program designed to provide customers using their recycled fiber with the highest level of transparency. Each fabric contains FiberPrint®, a technology that allows you to trace and audit the recycled content in any stage of a product's lifecycle.
Stage 2: Materials
Our fabrics are made right here in California from 84% recycled Repreve® fiber (the awesome stuff from "Stage 1"). They are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, which qualifies that the yarns are tested to be free of harmful levels of more than 100 restricted chemicals. They are machine woven, dyed, and printed using safe dyes and fair labor in (yet another!) state-of-the-art green facility. Our lead-free brass labels are made by an artisan in Canada, and all thread, biodegradable care tags, and elastic are made in the USA.
Stage 3: Final Product
All pieces are ethically handmade in California by a woman-owned and operated manufacturer. Workers are paid fair wages and treated with utmost regard for their health and safety (we love our ladies!). Fabric off-cuts from production are collected and repurposed achieving zero-waste production. There is no plastic packaging or materials used other than the recycled bottles in our fabrics.
We are currently working on a take-back program that will allow customers to recycle their old bikinis when they purchase a new one. Once achieved this will close our manufacturing loop since the old bikinis would be melted back into Repreve® raw fiber and remade into new goods!
Zero Ocean Freighting
Our entire supply chain is domestic and 100% free of ocean freighting. What's the big deal? Ocean freighting is one of the most polluting industries on the planet. Between oil spills, whale collisions and acoustic disturbance of wildlife, transport of invasive species, human rights violations of workers, and the insane amount of emissions and fossil fuels burned (the list goes on)... ocean freighting has NO place in a sustainable business. Since ocean freighting mostly operates out of sight in the open ocean, it isn't talked about much. But it needs to be, and we believe it is the next frontier in the fashion industry's shift toward sustainability. We avoid ocean freighting altogether by keeping it all local. To learn more about ocean freighting we highly recommend watching the documentary "Freightened: The Real Price of Shipping".
How do bottles become bikinis?
Still have questions? We'd love to hear from you! Don't be shy...
