HOW WE STARTED
Swamis Swimwear began with my mom and I hand-cutting and sewing bikinis in our home in San Diego, California. Since then, we have expanded our company to Los Angeles and Bali, where each piece is sewn with quality and care.
Since the age of 8, I've been competitively swimming and spending at least four hours a day in the pool. My one-piece tan lines were horrendous and my friends and I were always searching for bikinis to tan in. We searched endlessly for bikini bottoms with a cheekier cut, and were tired of “baggy” suits. At the time, it was difficult to find cheeky bikinis at an affordable price point.
In summer 2015 I truly tested my mom's sewing skills when we attempted to sew our first bikini bottom with no-stretch cotton fabric (a disaster!) But through trial and error, we created a pattern for the "Cheeky" bottom that we still use today. That summer, we posted our suits on Instagram and Etsy, where we made custom patterns and hand-sewed every order.
Because of the many years spent competitively swimming, I've come to learn what cuts are most flattering and how a suit should fit—comfortably, but fit for an active lifestyle. This ultimately inspired the simplicity of our line, with sporty, seamless designs and feminine silhouettes.
Our line today is still designed in San Diego, while our styles are sewn by an ethical production team in Bali. We use a majority of recycled swimwear fabric for our styles and all of our suits are mailed in compostable, recycled packaging.
Swamis Swimwear is only a two person team! We are learning and growing every day. We take pride in running an ethical brand and hope you love our bikinis as much as we do.
X Kelsey
sustainability
ETHICALLY CRAFTED SWIM
All of Swamis Swimwear's pieces are cut and sewn in Los Angeles or Bali by two experienced and ethical production teams. All members work in a safe and comfortable environment, and are paid fair wages. Some styles are hand-sewn by us!
We offer a variety of suits that are made with eco-friendly fabrics - some produced with less water, dye and energy for the lowest possible environmental impact. We also use recycled polyester fabric and deadstock (remnant) fabric. This is extra fabric from previous productions that were no longer needed. Swamis Swim then scoops up that fabric and gives it another life.
We are single-use plastic free. Our suits are never shipped from our production site or to customers with single-use plastics.
RECYCLED SWIMWEAR FABRIC CONTENTS
Swamis Swim uses a few variations of recycled swimwear fabric. The majority of our fabrics are listed below:
80% Recycled Polyester, 20% Spandex
- A durable fabric with no fading, high color fastness, and super soft, stretchy texture.
- The recycled polyester in this fabric is made from PET and polyester material. PET is a recycled material that is from used containers and packaging, like bottles or food containers, transformed into a new fibers for swimwear or clothing.
78 % Recycled Polyester 22 % Elastane
- Pilling resistant, UV ray protection, shape retention, chlorine resistant, suncream and oil resistant.
- Made from regenerated polyester thread from pre and post-consumer waste.
- OEKO-Tex certified - Sets the benchmark for textile safety, from yarn to finished product. This standard certifies that there are no harmful substances in this fabric.
- Audited by Global Recycled Standard - A product standard for tracking and verifying the content of recycled materials in a final product.
78 % Recycled Polyamide 22 % Elastane
- Soft & durable recycled nylon fiber.
- Ultra resistant against chlorine + oil + sunscreen.
- Global Recycled Standard Certified
- Recycled ECONYL nylon yarn - made from pre- and post-consumer waste. Materials are saved from landfills and are recycled and then regenerated.
RECYCLED PACKAGING
We include a Swamis-branded linen or cotton bag with every order. Undyed linen is organic, fully biodegradable, and doesn’t require any pesticides. Linen is made from the flax plant and every part of the plant is used. Our bags are reusable, and are perfect for using as a bikini wet bag or protecting beach necessities - like sunglasses, chapstick and sunscreen!
Our eco-friendly mailers are 100% recycled and biodegradable. They are made in the USA from 90% post-consumer waste.
We invest in hang-tags that are made from 90% recycled and biodegradable content.
