Sustainable Swimwear Trends in the Wholesale Swimwear Industry
Today’s customers are some of the most eco-conscious in modern history. Not since before Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin has there been such an interest amongst the general public about what kinds of materials are in the fabrics we wear and where they come from. Nowadays, swimwear enthusiasts don’t just care about fit, look, and performance, but also about ecological impact, fair-trade practices, and other socioeconomic factors behind it.
As a business owner, understanding the sustainability values your customers hold dear is essential to the growth of your business. That is why we have created this guide on sustainable swimwear trends in the wholesale Industry. Find out now about the great big world of sustainable swimwear.
Sustainability Trends in the Wholesale Swimwear Industry
Reduce
Choose pitch higher-end luxurious and quality products that can weather multiple seasons of use.
Just like the old slogan goes; sustainability is all about the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. In swimwear fashion, those same things apply. Reducing consumption may seem counterintuitive for a business owner, but eco-conscious consumers are looking to invest in fewer, higher-quality pieces, and to keep them longer. This is a great opportunity for you to pitch higher-end luxurious and quality products that can weather multiple seasons of use.
It’s also an opportunity for you to build deeper relationships with loyal customers who will remember you as a trustworthy and knowledgeable source for all their swimsuit needs. By instructing your shoppers on how to maintain swimsuits, through rinsing with nonchlorined cold water and air-drying flat, you prove that you’re not just a run-of-the-mill salesman, but speak from a place of knowledge and authority.
Reuse
Consider blended fabrics, woven with different proportions of both natural and synthetic fibers.
While vintage and second-hand clothing is a huge industry in the US, the share of swimwear in the second-hand fashion market is understandably smaller than for other clothing items. Rather, reusing here means returning to more classic fabrics and materials.
While most modern swimsuits use polyurethane or nylon fabrics, due to their unnatural water-resistance and stretch. However, once discarded, these bathing suits take decades and even centuries to degrade in landfills. All natural and eco-friendly materials such as linen, hemp, and even cotton are being reintroduced into the fabric game.
You can of course opt for a 100% natural fabric, but these materials can get waterlogged and threads can bunch and bind. Blended fabrics, woven with different proportions of both natural and synthetic fibers can at once minimize the ecological footprint of the garment while still providing the flexibility, lightness, and water resistance of traditional swimwear.
Recycle
Recyclable material is key
Even in the case of a fully synthetic fabric, there is still plenty of room for conscious sustainability practices. There are several brands out there making bathing suits out of recycled plastics. Some even go so far as to use floating ocean garbage that has been cleaned from the sea to create dazzling designs that are indistinguishable from your standard-bear first-hand poly elastane swimsuit. When your customer comes looking for a bathing suit made of recycled plastics they are making a bold statement; that their consumption is directly tied to cleaning up the world around them.