Every second, every day, 1,500 plastic bottles are discarded in the United States, equating to 38 billion bottles each year and 912 million gallons of oil.

This is why brands like Londré Bodywear, which makes sustainability a key value in their business, play an important role in the fight for sustainability within today’s consumer economy that gravitates towards fast fashion (and consequently fast disposal).

MAKING IT SUSTAINABLE

Hannah and Ainsley found it eye opening when they discovered that most swimsuits are made from oil, which comes from non regenerative fossil fuels. Furthermore, because of irresponsible textile dying, fashion is the second biggest polluter of fresh waterways.

This is why Londré commits to creating beautiful, high quality swimsuits that would not contribute to any unsustainable practices in the first place.

Here’s how they make their creations sustainable.

“We hope to drive innovation by inspiring a shift in the way people consume. Our product cycles are strongly influenced by consumers, if we can introduce high quality garments that last five plus years as opposed to ending up in a landfill this will be one of our greatest successes.

Every Londré design is made from post consumer fibres primarily derived from discarded plastic water bottles. We also use a certified eco friendly fibre called chitosante, which is made of crushed shells that are a byproduct of the shellfish industry.”

GETTING RID OF NEGATIVE SELF TALK

The Londré Bodywear line celebrates every body type, as Hannah and Ainsley both struggled with body issues before starting the brand, and they want to help eliminate the negative self talk and criticism faced by so many women. Through Londré, they want to find ways to inspire women of all body types to feel sexy in their skin, especially after that 5th taco on vacation(!)

“While growing our business we always strive to stay connected to our company values around body positivity and sustainability. If we can remain inspired by the foundation of why we started, then we stay authentic to our purpose and brand values.

Let’s start with our tags which say, BODY TYPE: SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL every time you purchase a suit. We lead with messaging that is bold and honest, so every woman knows they are stunning.”

LESSONS LEARNED

It’s never easy building the business, and Hannah and Ainsley have had their fair share of lessons of things going terribly wrong.

“We were originally planning on starting our business based out of Bali because we wanted to live there. Manufacturing is really inexpensive and offered at a high quality standard. We tried to do that very unsuccessfully – It was such a mistake. Every disaster you could imagine happening – happened. Someone disappeared with our samples and our fabric right when we were starting out!”

Luckily, when the duo ended up back in Vancouver they met a local manufacturer that would allow them to oversee the entire production process.

It also takes longer than you usually expect, and for Londré, the birth of the brand’s first design, The Minimalist, took a full nine months. In order to adhere to their goal of introducing a line of highly functional, timeless suits made for all women while weaving in the sustainability factor, the team is dedicated to slow production cycles to ensure they deliver the highest quality garments without compromising material integrity.

When asked whether they would have done anything differently, the Founders shared that they have “come to realize that nothing is set in stone, so just put it out there, it can always be changed later if need be! And of course... believe fiercely in yourself and what you are creating! If you do that, then nothing can stop you.”

With the brand being just a bit more than two years old, the Founders are already looking forward to a 2022 plan, where they seek to close the loop in their business and have total control of their process, from personally collecting plastic bottles to the finalized finished garment. The team is also working on new technology with microplastics and looking into more plant-based technical solutions in the synthetic (and thus microplastic producing) dominated swimwear space.

Londré Bodywear checks all the boxes for what modern women need - timeless pieces that encourage a positive self image and contributes to the sustainability movement. We eagerly await the brand’s next leaps forward!

All photos courtesy of Londré Bodywear