Our Sustainable Fabrics

Ethically sourced, responsibly made. 

 

Recycled plastic water bottle fabric: Repreve®

Swimwear, board shorts, and rash guards

All swimwear fabric in our bikinis, one pieces, rash guards, and board shorts is made from recycled fabrics that contain recycled materials such as plastic bottles that is then turned into polyester fabric. This material is eco-friendly and has chlorine resistant spandex (no more saggy butt). Polyester is durable and a great activewear fabric because of it's durability, compression and quick dry features. We have wear-tested all of our swimwear for multiple seasons in the pool, ocean, and in the sun and they are still going strong 3 years later (longer than any of my other swimsuits!).

swimwear reprieve fabric technical features 

Plant based neoprene alternative: YULEX®

Surf Suit

Used in our surf suit, Yulex is a neoprene material made from natural rubber harvested from rubber trees.  YULEX® Natural Rubber is the only renewable & plant-based alternative to petroleum & limestone based 'neoprene' that is sourced sustainably. The FSC®-Forest Stewardship council label guarantees that all Hevea trees used to create YULEX® Natural rubber are: Sustainably grown and harvested. Irrigated by ambient rainfall.

Yulex neoprene generates less CO2 during manufacturing compared to synthetic neoprene, but it has nearly identical physical performance in terms of tensile strength, tear strength, and elasticity. The material is then laminated with recycled nylon fabric made from ocean plastic such as fish nets. 

neoprene alternative technical features 

Printing process for solids and patterns: Sublimation

All of our patterned prints and some of our solid colors prints are dye sublimated.

The heat transfer sublimation printing process is a great eco-friendly and highly sustainable printing technique. It is not only simple, but also efficient in creating bright and interesting prints on fabric. It is a fantastic technique that’s used by top designers and visual artists.

Sublimation printing is a chemical process that imprints a design onto a garment through a chemical reaction. Sublimation refers to the passage of molecules from the solid to gas state, without moving through a liquid state, fusing the design onto the fabric, and then turning the gas back into a solid, thereby creating a lasting imprint. Upon exposure to heat, the cloth fibres open, allowing the dyes to permeate into the fibre and bond with it permanently. 

Dye-sublimation is the most environmentally friendly, sustainable process possible in garment printing and production. It produces ZERO waste! Because the process involves turning a solid directly to a gas, there is no water needed for dyeing.

 

All swimwear is designed in San Diego, CA.

 

A note on latex allergies: Our recycled swimwear fabric (Repreve) does not contain latex and Yulex is known to remove 99% of latex impurities. Our rubber elastic at the seams of our swimsuits do contain latex however. For this reason they are not recommended for extreme allergies, however, all swimwear has a layer of fabric between the rubber elastic that can protect you from the elastic for minor allergies.