Sustainability is Sexy!

Vitamin A T-shirt and bikini

When I left teaching to be in the swimwear industry, I was in for a rude awakening. I was a science teacher so, my favorite things to teach were about saving the Earth and animals. For example, I did experiments that showed the students we can't get rid of Styrofoam even with Acetone and it just builds up in our landfills (and my beloved ocean.) Little did I know at the time that fashion is considered one of the top contributors in destroying the ocean, in turn killing the very ocean animals that give us life. So yes, finding people and companies that care about the planet and living things is very sexy to me. And, having a brain and conscience is much sexier than any Kardashian.

Many of the well-known big brands in the swimwear industry pollute fresh water with their dying process and wrap every piece of swimwear in a plastic bag. We are talking millions of little unnecessary plastic bags, which may or may not be recycled, which may or may not end up in the ocean. Since swimwear fabric is made for water, it goes through a special process of dying and rinsing, dewrinkling and softening, etc. The big factories pollute the air and water. They actually put the dyed water full of chemicals back into the Earth. With big fashion companies comes large amounts of trash, wasted paper and large amounts of energy consumption.

Luckily for us, there are companies out there that are trying to stop this. Vitamin A and other brands are choosing to use fabrics made of recycled plastic, which is made differently than the traditional man-made swimwear fabrics and can in turn be recycled. My go-to little black bikini by Vitamin A is luxurious, soft and has a perfect fit. Plus, I feel happy that I am helping the Earth when I wear it. Vitamin A is one of the first in sustainable innovation and with it's effortless, classic suits they are really making sustainability sexy. There are many more brands just like it. You can search "eco" right here on my blog to find out about more of my many eco-friendly swimwear brands. Look for companies that make their swimwear from Econyl or come from Repreve. Even Quiksilver and Volcom make boardshorts made of recycled plastic bottles and I know all you surfers out there want to save the ocean as much as me.  It's as simple as looking at the tag when purchasing. Some companies are shipping their items in recycled materials, use recycled paper for the tags or donate to ocean conservation. Please keep your eyes and heart open.

Pollution is the number one reason fish are dying and we need fish for life. There are other countries that put their trash in the ocean and their are people right here in Florida that leave their trash all over the beach. I have always loved nature and I'm not saying we all have to be perfect. But, little choices really add up and we can all be doing our part to help. As Mother Teresa said, "We can do small things with great love." Choose eco friendly, recycle, refuse a straw, throw away your trash in a garbage can- at the same time you'll be bringing sexy back!