The founders of the following swimwear brands have one main thing in common: Their incredible drive to create a better future for this planet.
These amazing women entrepreneurs understood the destructiveness of conventional fast fashion for the environment. Instead of becoming demotivated and apathetic, they rolled up their sleeves and started step by step to create better alternatives.
And they don’t just stop there. Nearly all of these women have more than one project going on at the same time. It was a pleasure to learn about these swimwear brands and the faces behind them.
Read on and get inspired!
WONDA swim | @wondaswim
Environmentally friendly swimwear
Kim, 27-year-old German, spent a semester abroad in Lisbon and afterwards decided to move there.
While living the dream on the Portuguese coastline, she came up with the idea of creating a bikini line that would fulfill all her needs – and those of many other women at the same time.
Kim spent over a year doing research on the female body, looking at and understanding individual body types, having in mind the goal of creating bikinis that fit perfectly to real bodies. At the same time, she puts a lot of thought and effort in the sustainability of the products.
The material is recycled ocean and landfill plastic waste and the bikinis are locally and fairly produced in Lisbon. This way the environmental impact is as low as possible.
PRAÏ FOR WAVES | @_praii_
Timeless aesthetics for every body
The Praii for waves ecoprene bikinis combine sportive, functional design with style.
The founder Mona from Munich spent one semester of university in Lisbon. Instead of living in the city, she decided to move right to Carcavelos beach and committed to surf every morning before classes.
She noticed that the bikinis from typical big brands didn’t fit her very well, so Bouzarda decided to buy an old sewing machine, ask Portuguese wetsuit brands for some spare neoprene, and started to create bikinis by herself! The simple yet aesthetic design of Praii bikinis is a celebration of the female body. The material is flexible but strong, supportive and comfortable – made for endless fun in the water.
Now Mona is back in Munich where she also works as an architect. Her next big project is to create tiny houses by the beach. We are amazed by her ideas and can’t wait to hear more!
Sober & Naked | @soberandnaked
Eco-bikinis created by a surf addict
The woman behind the brand Sober & Naked is Jana from Norway. During a trip to Hawaii she learned surfing on the famous Waikiki beach and got hooked. Back home working 9-5 in the office, her thoughts kept drifting off to the perfect Hawaiian waves. When the longing for the sea became unbearable, Jana decided to take the leap forward: She quit her job and started travelling long-term, surfed Bali and visited other Asian countries.
What inspired her to create her own bikini brand was the massive environmental pollution she encountered during her travels. Sober & Naked offers an alternative to fast fashion while keeping up in terms of design. The brand’s non-negotiables are design, functionality, sustainability and ethical manufacturing.
Besides running the bikini business, Jana also developed Micro Cath, a solution for filtering microplastics during the washing cycle.
Zealous | @zealous.clothing
Surf bikinis and more
“Zealous means to be filled with or to be inspired by intense enthusiasm and embodies our striving for happiness that we find in the ocean & mountains.”
Zealous founder Marie from Germany spent a lot of her childhood skiing and snowboarding. Soon she discovered her love for surfing, too. Nowadays she lives most time of the year in Bali, riding some of the world’s best waves and managing her business.
Zealous offers surf swimwear, surf inspired streetwear, accessoires and lifestyle products.
The material is mostly recycled fabric and recycled office waste. 1 % of each purchase is donated to a good cause. This year, Marie chose to donate to the East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP) and the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS). The packaging is eco-friendly, too.
The production is based is Bali. Zealous makes ethical production a priority. The Balinese seamstresses work under fair conditions. You can get to know them on their website, where they introduce themselves in short videos.
Ninefoot Studio | @ninefootstudio
High end recycled swimwear
Lucia is a fashion designer who worked in corporate for nine years. What she realized there is that “everything moves too fast”. Through her own experiences and research she learned about the real cost of cheap and fast fashion – violation of human rights standards, global injustice and environmental pollution on an incredible scale.
Instead of losing hope, Lucia decided to become active in creating better ways of producing, working and living. She established Ninefoot Studio with the goal of designing timeless products using good quality materials for conscious people – a goal that she definitely achieved.
Anowisurf | @anowisurf
Fair and eco-friendly active wear for saltwater loving ladies
Anowisurf is a brand founded by Iwona, a woman who is incredibly skilled and knowledged about ecological production and materials.
For example, Anowisurf uses digital printing which is a water-less printing method. The production is based in New York City and the supply chain is made up of local vendors.
Nearly all the materials are made domestically to reduce the environmental impact to a minimum.
The bikinis fit like a second skin and are tested to be wipeout-proof.
Matia Beachwear | @matiabeachwear
Aesthetics from the Algarve
Matia beachwear offers timeless, luxurious and consciously created swimwear and clothing.
The products are designed and produced in Portugal. Tina, the founder, is strongly dedicated to support her surroundings by ensuring ethical and local production with high quality standards.
The bikinis are minimalist yet aesthetic – you can wear them day and night, from beach to bar.
OY Surf Apparel | @oysurfapparel
High-performance, high-quality and sustainable swimwear
The founders of OY Surf Apparel are Zelia and Dario Zadra, based in Zurich and Berlin.
What inspired them to create their own brand were frustrating experiences with the bikinis existent on the market. When they realized that no bikini actually satisfied their needs, they decided to take matters into their own hands!
Now OY produces high-performance and high-quality swimsuits, bikinis and activewear for surf and yoga. The brand is committed to make the lowest impact possible on nature. They use mostly recycled yarn and recycled polyester as material and are always looking out for new material based on natural resources.
The production is based in Portugal, where OY works with small family businesses under fair conditions.
SaltGypsy | @saltgypsy
Sustainable ocean style made in Australia
SaltGypsy is a woman-owned and operated business producing surfboards, surfwear and accessoires such as ocean-friendly surf wax.
The founder Danielle is from Australia. Since she learned about the downsides of the conventional fashion industry, they committed to develop a closed loop system for their production.
SaltGypsy uses regenerated nylon waste as material and works with On Demand manufacturing practices.
Danielle says that she is proud to “be a part of this global movement driving awareness and change within the fashion industry”.
Atmosea | @atmosea_
A celebration of freedom, inclusivity and community
This brand is not only creating swimwear, wetsuits and apparel, but also a culture!
Atmosea supports women to take power and pride in themselves. They create a nurturing and accepting environment for female surfers across the globe. The Atmosea products are inspired and designed by a deep love for the ocean.
This includes prioritizing sustainability as well. Not only are the material of the products sustainable, but also the packaging is made of Cassava which contains zero plastic. Atmosea wants to make a tangible impact to reduce global plastic pollution and other industries that are impacting the seas.
Monique Rotteveel | @bymoniquerotteveel
The most beautiful patterns you’ll find on a bikini
Monique Rotteveel has an education in graphic design. Besides working as freelancer in this field, she runs her own swimwear brand. Her pieces stand out with beautiful and unique patterns.
Her new product line is inspired by the rainforest of Costa Rica. This is where she lives for the most part of the year – working, surfing and living the van life on weekends.
The swimwear is made out of recycled plastic bottles and the packaging for shipping is completely plastic free.
1% of every sales gets donated for NGOs that were handpicked by Monique herself.
Koru Eco Brand | @koru_swimwear
Earth friendly swimwear with the Kiwi attitude
Julie Stine is the founder, CEO and designer of Koru Eco Brand. Born in New Zealand, her Kiwi heritage is very important to her. Julie aspires to sell a bit of Kiwi lifestyle with her products: A relaxed attitude and love for the outdoors and nature.
Besides swimwear, Koru Eco Brand also offers hair- and skincare products, apparel, bamboo sunglasses and even all natural perfume (that smells like beachy air!).
The swimwear is made of 100% regenerated polyamide, which is partly regenerated yarn from old fishernets.
Julie ensures that the production takes place in factories with fair wages and ethical working conditions only.
Koru Eco Brand is soon launching a recycling program: You can send your gently used swimwear back to Koru and they will either re-sell it to a discounted price or recycle it and use the material again for new products!
SLO Active | @slo.active
Slow fashion, active women, clean ocean
SLO founder Janaya Wilkins grew up in New Zealand around surfing and exploring endless beaches. Her life is centered around a love for the ocean – and a concern for its conservation.
As Janaya loves scuba diving, free diving and paddleboarding herself, her swimwear is made for an action-packed day in the water.
Besides functionality, fashion is not coming short at all. The design is inspired by the clean lines and simple beauty of the ocean. The products are detailed with luxurious finishings and corrosion-free metallic zips.
Everything is ethically produced in a small, independently-run factory in Italy.
SLO Active stands for living with purpose and intent, slowing down form over-consumption and being conscious of the environment.
On the brand’s website a plastic pollution guide is offered to learn about the facts of plastic pollution, potential solutions and every one can make a change.
Janaya created a discount for readers of the Surfpreneurs blog. Make sure to add SURFPRENEURS15 as discount code to your next order to get 15% off :) Thank you, Janaya!
Written by Lena Riemann
Lena is a yogi, nature and sports lover and political scientist. Currently surfing and working as yoga teacher and freelance writer & researcher in Portugal. Collaborating with Surfpreneurs Club for fun and inspiration!
