“There will be more plastic than fish in our oceans by 2050 if we continue on the path we are on”, reports the World Economic Forum.
Every year eight million pieces of plastic end up in the ocean, not only polluting the waters and shores but also threatening marine life to the brink of extinction. Due to the increased urgency to protect the oceans, World Oceans Day was proposed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Subsequently, the United Nations gave the day its recognition in 2008 and it is marked every year on June 8.
World Oceans Day reminds everyone of the major role the oceans have in everyday life. They are the lungs of our Planet and a major source of food and medicine and a critical part of the biosphere.
Many clothing brands are doing their bit by taking action towards ocean conservation approaches. Including recycling the discarded plastics and fishing nets to produce yarns and fabrics for their clothing lines. Let’s take a look at some of these ocean-friendly brands, from activewear, swimwear to hand bags brands, they are taking parts in the eco-responsible movement and giving us stylish products at the same time.
Girlfriend Collective
Girlfriend Collective is one of the world’s most famous sustainable activewear brands. Its lustrous fabrics, which exude comfort, are made from post-consumer water bottles from landfills. For its LITE leggings and Maternity Collection, the brand uses Econyl yarn obtained from fishing nets, landfills, and other ocean waste. The recycled fabric is certified Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX, which means that it has been tested for harmful substances and is harmless for human health.
From sourcing, dying to packaging, Girlfriend Collective is nothing but eco-conscious. Textile for the brand comes from a government-certified facility in Taiwan, where the bottles are processed into yarn. The colours for the clothes are obtained from eco-friendly dyes, and their packaging is biodegradable and made of 100 percent recycled materials.
Hamilton Perkins
Hamilton Perkins is well known for its limited-edition luxury bags, made from recycled plastic water bottles, pineapple leaf fiber, billboard vinyl, retractable banners, sailboat sails and more. The collection includes travel bags, shoulder bags and backpacks among others.
Hamilton Perkings has been using recycled material for its products since its founding in 2014. One of its most popular designs is Earth Bag Premium, which is also the first that the brand created. The bags are produced using pineapple leaf fibre, recycled plastic water bottles, and billboard vinyl. On average, per Earth Bag, 10 pineapple leaves and around 17.5 recycled plastic water bottles are used.
Indigo Luna
Another ocean-friendly fashion brand, Indigo Luna primarily uses eucalyptus-derived fabrics by Tencel and Econyl, two types of sustainable fabrics for its range of linen, yoga wear and swimwear lines.
Everything in Indigo Luna, from dyes to packaging is eco-friendly. The soft colours of the clothes come from tropical plants such as indigo, mango, secang wood, and rhubarb leaves. The process is so sustainable that even the waste is composted. And the brands packaging is done in biodegradable Cassava starch bags.
OceanZen
Women who love to take a dive or a swim would find OceanZen swimwear not only comfortable, stylish, and high-performing but also responsible and environment-friendly. The brightly coloured outfits are made from recycled bottles and fishing nets recovered from the oceans. OceanZen’s creator Steph Gabriel is a bikini engineer, also a qualified Environmental Scientist, she created the brand in 2014 with one mission, to help contribute positively towards a cleaner ocean.
The sustainable swimwear brand also ensures that packaging is done in reusable cotton drawstring bags. The swing tags are made of recyclable paper. The satchels in which the products are shipped are created from 100 percent biodegradable and home compostable materials. If any fabric goes unused during the manufacturing process, it is used to make scrunchies.
OceanZen is OEKO–TEX certified and goes a step further in spreading awareness about the oceans; it organises an annual week-long retreat for women to visit Tonga and swim with humpback whales.
Fair Harbor
Fair Harbor takes its name from the hamlet on Long Island, New York, where the brand’s founders, brother and sister Jake and Caroline Danehy, spent their summers growing up. The duo founded the company after impressing a panel of judges including Hollywood actress Jessica Alba and winning a grant at a mock Shark Tank competition in 2015 at Colgate University where Jake was a student.
Fair Harbor has now helped remove over seven million plastic bottles from the oceans.The bottles are used in producing their signature product: boardshorts. The brands’ products are all made using recycled plastic bottles, around 12 recycled plastic bottles are used to make each pair of shorts. Bottles are collected from around the world, shredded and washed into flakes, melted down to form pellets and then shredded again into yarns.The yarn is then woven into the brand’s custom fabric.
Contur
As part of its quest to safeguard the oceans, Contur works exclusively with Econyl for all of its luxurious activewear range. The brand caters to women, providing high quality yet sustainable products including leggings, shorts, crops and vests. Stitched and seamed by hand, all their apparels are breathable and sweat-wicking, some of which also come with high UV protection.
Contur also chose to manufacture their products locally in London, as this significantly cuts their ‘clothing miles’ and keeps the carbon footprint at the lowest it can possibly be.
Casa Raki
Casa Raki ethically produces its products from high-tech but ecological fabrics, the brand commits itself to sustainable and responsible practices from the outset. Targeting only sustainable materials and processes, while focusing on improving and extending garment life.
Argentinian-born Josefina A. Theo launched the brand in 2018. Since childhood, the fashion photographer kept a particular passion for the world’s oceans, having grown up in the Uruguayan coastal city of Punta del Este. From the launch of her label, the designer made it clear to emphasize the responsibility she felt for taking care of the environment, encouraging a dialogue about new ways of manufacturing swimwear. While her heart remains close to the sea, each piece of Casa Raki collections is made with care in her London workshops.
Scampi
Founded in Sweden1983, Scampi offers swimwear that are durable and sustainable at the same time, with their brand mission to have zero impact on our planet.
Every Scampi swimsuit produced recycles up to 300 grams of marine litter and other nylon waste as well as reducing our environmental footprint with Econyl’s eco-friendly production process. Scampi’s swimsuit fabrics also provide the highest resilience to sunlight, chlorine and sun creams, always with SPF 50 UV filter.
Talia Collins
Talia Collins, a former Vogue Paris stylist, launched her eponymous brand with a goal to help protect the oceans with lines of on-trend, personalizable swimwear. The brand consciously creates their product using ECONYL®, a nylon yarn consisting of 100% regenerated fiber crafted from abandoned fishing nets and other discarded plastics. Their fabrics also include sun protection and are OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified.
Talia Collins achieves their sustainability goals also by partnering with “The Healthy Seas” and “Go Greenr”, two organisations which focus on preserving our planet and reducing our carbon footprint. For each sale, 10% of profits is donated to the Healthy Seas association.
Reference:
Gupta, M. S. (2021, June 7). 6 ocean-friendly fashion brands you should know about. Lifestyle Asia Bangkok. Salessy, Héloïse. (2020, June 8). World Oceans Day: 4 sustainable swimwear brands to know this summer. Vogue Paris.
Salessy, Héloïse. (2020, June 8). World Oceans Day: 4 sustainable swimwear brands to know this summer. Vogue Paris.