HOT GIRL SUMMER KEEPS GETTING HOTTER... LITERALLY

Introducing Green Girl Summer

The season’s best from ecologically conscious retailers & designers.

As this summer reaches record breaking temps worldwide, the muse of hot girl summer must pass on the metaphorical baton to her more pragmatic twin: the goddess of green girl summer. (Hopefully to be later succeeded by fall, winter & spring).

Ecologically-conscious product drives high demand in a global market crippled by the financial repercussions of rampant overproduction and overconsumption. To provide the supply for this environmental consumer, one who desires durable and ethical product, come waves of emerging sustainable designers.

Shop like the hottest green girl of the summer in the latest beachwear and accessories of eco-fashion.

(The ocean will thank you for swimming responsibly.)

SUSTAINABLE SWIM STAPLES

Shop GIRLFRIEND COLLECTIVE for investment piece swimwear and actives in inclusive sizing from XXS-6XL! These classic silhouettes and basics, in regenerated nylon, encompass the slow fashion mentality, as their durable construction and timeless aesthetics will stay in style until the tides swallow Southern California— which, if we do not take to shopping green, could come sooner than we think.

TROPICAL GREEN SUITS

SWIMINISTA’S latest collab with CHRISTIAN LACROIX, a collection entitled “Enchanted Garden,” utilizes regenerated plastic water bottles— a post-consumer plastic — to repurpose into bikinis, one-piece suits, and coverups in floral motifs featuring figure flattering swim for busts A-DD. Founded by Andréa Bernholtz (founder also of Rock-N-Republic) & designed in Hawaii and Southern California, SWIMINISTA’s sustainable swimwear is both made in the USA and sourced from Italian regenerated textiles that “help to prevent about 250,000 plastic bottles per hour from reaching landfills and oceans” (PR Newswire).

BEACH BAGS, TOWELS, BUCKET HATS & WIDE-BRIMS

The original reusable shopping bag since 2007, BAGGU has become the name ubiquitous with contemporary fashion’s function, utility, and sustainability missions. Packable sun hats in organic cotton conserve space and water while bucket hats feature playful prints in the same eco-conscious fabric. Fruity towels of organic cotton terrycloth beg to be sprawled about a sandy shore. And of course, the go-to beach bag: the classic BAGGU tote in regenerated nylon. The online retailer’s sustainability segment asserts this regenerated nylon to be “made with 100% recycled material with recycled nylon filament yarn produced from pre-consumer waste”: wonderful for protecting your belongings from a fair share of salt, sea, or sand.

SLIDES & JELLIES

“The Real Jelly” since 1979, MELISSA’s recyclable long-use plastic footwear makes a sunny pairing with a beachside stroll… Or to hold up for hours tucked into the sand. Recent collaboration collection from MELISSA x SIMON MILLER debuts sculptural clogs in recycled plastic; MELISSA x MARINA LARROUDÉ features playful slides in the same circular material. Classic MELISSA flip flops and slip-on sandals innovate material science, utilizing “biobased EVA from sugar cane, a lightweight, sustainable raw material” (Melissa Shoes).

STATEMENT FOOTWEAR

Founded in Mallorca, Spain in 1975, Camper Labs harnesses a reputation for unique and well crafted footwear, often in ingenius and unseen materials. Bring the picnic poolside in gingham criss-cross slides made of recycled PET and recycled cotton. For a more tactical feel meet the “Oruga” sandal. Perhaps to scale a rocky climb, face a white-water rafting adventure, or trek to a nearby tide pool, this shoe features “TENCEL® Lyocell and recycled PET webbing with XL EXTRALIGHT® Organix™ outsoles (30% bio-based sugarcane).”

BEACH BLING

For some standout beach ready jewelry, look to New York city based designer Susan Alexandra. Known for her small batch, made-to-order, hand beaded earrings, necklaces, bags, and homegoods, these accessories support local sourcing and artisanship while screaming summer. Our favorites? Fruity earrings and all-over bead bags that must make it into the picture for your post-beach sunset cocktail.

LAST RESORT? SWIM IN YOUR UNDIES

Sometimes, we are in a pinch. The pool party falls right after work, and green girl summer does not condone driving the extra miles home to pick up a proper suit. Consider a two-for-one purchase perfect for the multipurpose shopper and the capsule wardrobe: Parade Underwear stakes its place in the undergarments school of big fish with a large influencer following. Famous for their sustainably sourced panties and bralettes in trendy cuts and patterns, Parade dresses the New York it-girls with size inclusive, comfortable, and cute styles clearly fit for the boudoir. Yet their Universal Seamless line — “made from certified recycled yarns, free of all harmful chemicals, featuring a certified organic cotton lining”— translates easy to a simple swimwear serve. Tried and Tested by our Editors.

Written by Lily Moskowitz