By Maya Ellwood-Sawyer, Second Year, Philosophy and Sociology
The Croft Magazine// Maya Ellwood- Sawyer explores the latest swimwear brands which are redefining the swimwear industry with inspiration from 70’s prints while promoting both sustainability and size inclusivity for all.
While Covid-19 means swimwear this year is for staycation sunbathing only, it has certainly given us all enough time to find the brands which both do good and look good. All of the small companies listed below are sustainable, size inclusive and repping some of 2021’s biggest swimwear trends so you can feel at ease in unique and trendy pieces.
Planet Pants – Trend: Psychedelic swirls and versatile straps
Recently featured by Depop, the up and coming small brand Planet Pants has curated a line of swimwear that is bang on trend, affordable and good for the planet! A one woman business owned by a London based fashion student, Planet Pants swimwear is handmade from recycled polyester to order, meaning no overproduction!
The prints include the 70’s swirl that is so effortlessly cool and in style. These come in multiple colours as well as the pink and black cherry, which is reminiscent of y2k and noughties style that is still having its moment.
All prints and colours are available in a classic triangle bikini top style meaning this brand is also perfect to explore one of the other biggest trends of the summer, finding new ways to tie a classic bikini. This trend of switching up the way you wear your bikini means you can create a whole new look without having to buy more swimwear, a win for the environment and your bank account.
Best of all, Planet Pants is a student budget friendly option! With bikini tops at £20 and bottoms at £10 there’s no excuse to shop fast, when you could get a gorgeous full set for £30 with a completely clean conscious.
Swim Society – Trend: Cut-outs
Swim Society is former Love Islander, Montana Brown’s brand. Her collection features fashionable and flattering, abstract cut-outs. Seen in a lot of clothing this year, cut-outs are definitely a hallmark of a trendy fashion statement in 2021 which is great to see in swimwear also. Although they might make for some interesting tan lines, cut-outs make an undeniably cool and unique swim piece which Swim Society offers plenty of.
Not only is Montana’s brand right on trend, they also have some amazing sustainability policies including a tree planted for every order to offset the carbon created in shipping, using material from 97% recycled plastic and providing biodegradable packaging.
Even better, Swim Society are dedicated to size inclusivity and have a policy of 'no categorisation of sizes'. They don’t use words such as petite, tall or plus but instead simply say that every design is for every size!
Maillot De Bain – Trend: One-of-a-kind pieces
With fashion becoming even faster in recent years and the rise of copy-cat designs there has been an outcry for more unique one-off pieces, as seen in the rise of small brands with limited collections such as Maillot De Bain.
Maillot De Bain is the complete opposite of fast swimwear, creating completely bespoke pieces for every customer. Created in 2017 after founder, Megan, struggled to find flattering swimwear, the brand offers a multitude of styles, shapes, prints and sizes to create your perfect bikini. There are no set designs, instead you pick from different styles and even what print or colour you would like from a huge range, including some deadstock limited edition materials. For sizes you can even ask for in-between sizes for the perfect fit!
Despite the trend of wearing these kinds of limited-edition pieces, with the ability to create swimwear completely tailored to you, no doubt swimwear from Maillot De Bain will be something you can’t wait to wear every summer. With 10 years of sewing experience, Megan’s pieces are high quality and made to last meaning you won’t have to buy new swimwear every year once you have a completely custom piece making her brand even more eco-friendly.
You can even add the option to make your swimwear reversible having two designs in one bikini or add on matching extras such as scrunchies or bucket hats!
So even as the summer season closes, these sustainable small businesses are definitely ones to keep in mind annually!
Featured Image- Instagram.com: Planetpants_
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