Ethical Bathing Suit Brands for Your Honeymoon

Oh, how nice it would be to be on a beach right now… or sipping drinks poolside… or just lounging in the sun. What do all of these scenes have in common (besides sounding heavenly in this mid-July heat)? Bathing suits! We know that 2020 isn’t exactly the perfect year for traveling for honeymoons or destination weddings, but in the meantime, online shopping is very much still a way to distract yourself from not being able to hop on a plane. The beaches are calling your name, and we know you want to be there as soon as you can! 

However, not all swimsuits are created equal. Between production practices and materials used, some brands clearly have the world and its citizens in mind when they create their products. You may be wondering what it means to “shop ethically.” Basically, shopping ethically is simply making an informed decision on where to buy your clothes based on best business practices that includes not exploiting workers and not harming the environment. It may be incredibly overwhelming to have one more thing to consider when trying to find the perfect swimwear — prices, fit, shipping time, etc. — so we’ve decided to do our own research and provide you with a list of some ethical swimwear brands that will meet all of your honeymoon needs! 

Wolven

You may know Wolven from their adorable Instagram ads (at least I do!) Wolven focuses on repurposing post-consumer plastic into their super cute swimsuits. Their material is made from recycled plastic water bottles and is certified free of any toxins or chemicals that other repurposed plastic clothing can sometimes release back into the environment. Their dedication to the environment even extends to the designs on their clothing, inspired by the geometry and patterns naturally occurring on our Earth. As Wolven’s tagline states, they are truly trying to “Make Sustainability Sexy” by offering a wide range of styles to allow anyone to participate in a making our world happier and healthier. 

Londre Bodywear

Londre boasts an impressive list of sustainability efforts from donation efforts to various worldwide initiatives to offering a recycling program for their suits to be repurposed once a wearer is done with them. Yet another brand that uses plastic water bottles to make their suits, Londre is dedicated to making long-lasting and high-quality bathing suits that are able to last you for years to come. What’s more, their focus on simple, aesthetically-pleasing, color-blocked prints makes sure that their suits will never go out of style. Londre is clearly about the details, including the fact that their shipping materials are made of corn and completely compostable. On another note, we love their size inclusivity and the way they seek to inspire their customers with flattering swimwear in a variety of sizes and styles. 

Summersalt

A brand that believes strongly in combining fashion and function AND comfort and class, Summersalt offers a wide variety of clothing outside of swimwear. They follow both a customer- and planet-centered approach, which allows them to provide customers with technical and functional clothing that doesn’t harm the planet. They dedicate themselves to constantly exploring how to make their products even more sustainable and to always maintain a level of transparency with consumers about their production practices. To demonstrate the level of care that they take to improve the customer experience, Summersalt took measurements of over 1.5 million women to inform the way their products fit. Real women, real measurements, real comfort in knowing how to pick the best size. All of Summersalt’s suits are only $95, meaning you’re able to get top-quality products for less. And you’re helping out the planet too. 

Tomboy X

Okay, this is a new find for us at Loverly, and we’re a little bit obsessed. Tomboy X is a brand for people regardless of gender identity and is dedicated to making underwear (and swimwear!) that anyone regardless of body type, identity, or size feels comfortable wearing. What’s more, they are doing this mission while still maintaining ethical and sustainable business practices. They have chosen to do their work pairing with majority women-owned or managed facilities that pay their workers fairly and create safe working environments. Their fabrics are non-toxic, and they use naturally occurring substances from shrimp and crab shells for antimicrobial and water-wicking properties rather than synthetic chemicals. Tomboy X is absolutely a brand to watch and support as they practice love for all people and love for the environment. 

Jessica Rey

Jessica Rey may be the perfect one-stop shop for honeymoon bathing attire! They specialize in feminine styles, with adorable swim skirts and dresses and some more full-coverage for those of us who maybe don’t want to show too much skin. Their floral and vintage patterns are absolutely adorable and so the fact that everything is ethically made is just a huge bonus! All of their swimsuit fabric is 100% recycled and made of repurposed items such as discarded fish nets that pose a danger to our oceans; the suits themselves are produced in sweat-shop free factories in Los Angeles that are dedicated to paying workers a fair wage. Jessica herself started her company after failing to find a non-bikini option that didn’t make her feel older than she really was; she is now committed to giving shoppers a place to buy fashionable and sustainable swimwear that make them feel like themselves!

Outerknown

If you and your partner are looking to make some ethical purchases together, check out Outerknown! Outerknown has both men’s and women’s clothing, and all of their swimming trunks are made with either recycled or renewable fibers, making them a great choice for your sweetie! There’s nothing sexier than sustainable clothing choices… so why don’t you make them together? Outerknown was also the first brand to seek out accreditation by the Fair Labor Association before ever shipping a product and maintains a vision of “a future where clothing contributes to a world where people and planet prosper.” How do you say no to that? Outerknown has a full plan for their sustainability journey on their website and is a great brand to look to for inspiration on how you too can minimize your impact on the planet. 

Bikini Empire

For some truly adorable pieces, check out Bikini Empire! Their suits are certainly honeymoon-worthy with tons of fun and flirty patterns and some cute cheeky bottoms. Bikini Empire works in both vintage and modern styles, but one thing they are dedicated to not being traditional in are the business practices of fast fashion. Their bathing suits are all manufactured in Bali, but Bikini Empire is particularly vigilant about what it means to do business overseas and ensures that all of their workers are paid 3x more than the local average and that each worker has the opportunity to negotiate their own contract. Furthermore, a portion of every bikini sale is donated directly to the R.O.L.E. (River, Ocean, Land, and Ecology) Foundation, a foundation in Bali that is dedicated to keeping Bali’s ecology clean and free from toxins and waste. 

Reformation

“Being naked is the #1 most sustainable option. Reformation is #2.” We absolutely LOVE this tagline and what it stands for. One thing unique to Reformation is that they are dedicated to sustainability to the degree that they focus on building green building infrastructure so that their manufacturing facilities are as sustainable as what’s produced inside. They have designed a tracking system called RefScale that evaluates all of the costs of creating fashion, not just the price tag. Between carbon dioxide emissions, water used, and waste generated, Reformation is tracking the impact of their clothing and making this information readily available on every single product page of their clothing. We love the transparency of Reformation, and their bathing suits are super cute too! They also sell much more than swimwear, in case your honeymoon calls for something more than just a suit. 

Shopping ethically is easy, once you know what to look for. Being an informed consumer about where your dollar is going and what the impact of your business might be is one of the most effective ways of enacting change without doing anything different from normal. We know you can’t wait to get to travel again and show off all your new bathing suits. Why not make sure that when someone asks you where you got them, you can feel proud of the answer.