This Adorable Swimsuit Is Made From Plastic Bottles
With summer swiftly approaching, it’s prime time to start searching for a swimsuit that will make a splash at the beach.
And with Earth Day on the horizon, too, we can’t think of a better suit than this one. Fashioned from recycled plastic bottles (yes, really!), the six-piece Sustainable Sea lineis a collaboration between SoCal swimwear brand Vitamin A and retailer Everything But Water.
To make the suits, Vitamin A founder Amahlia Stevens developed an innovative type of fabric that’s made by blending and melting plastic bottles into chips to then be extruded and spun into yarn. The result is a blend of upcycled polyester fiber combined with elastic fibers for stretch and support.
In addition to being ocean-friendly, the under-the-sea vibes of the suits are seriously stylish. Modeled after Vitamin A’s signature botanical prints, the designs have a sea-inspired spin with nods to ocean plants and seaweed. “I worked with my textile designer here in Laguna Beach to create original artwork full of motifs inspired by the sea,” said Stevens. “I even photographed the seaweed on my local beach, which was used as the inspiration for the sea foliage elements in the print."
If that’s not cool enough, 25 percent of the purchase price for all Sustainable Sea items (which range from $88 to $162) goes toward the 5 Gyres Institute (of Coastal LivingOcean Hero fame), which works to eliminate plastic pollution in our oceans. Has online shopping ever felt so good? We think not.