Sustainable Swimwear: 8 Best Brands
Looking for the best sustainable swimwear for your next wild swim or beach trip? This guide has you covered, with the best sustainable swimwear.
I’m always searching for sustainable swimwear brands who design thoughtful and beautiful pieces, with innovative materials that truly have an impact. Whether its eco-friendly fabrics, ethical production, or green packaging, sustainable swimwear is an essential for lovers of the water.
From mix and match bikinis to one-pieces and rash vests, I’ve gathered my favourite sustainable swimwear brands that deliver big on style, performance, and eco-conscious practices.
Why buy sustainable swimwear?
A quick note on why sustainable swimwear is making such a big splash.
Sadly, the most common fabrics used to make traditional swimwear are plastic based - nylon, polyester, lycra, and estane. Coated with harmful waterproofing material that makes its way into waterways (along with micro plastics from the suits), swimwear is both damaging and difficult to recycle. Yet every year over 50 million bathing suits are sent to landfill, a by-product of the fast fashion industry.
Thankfully, there’s a wave of designers working to change that, using recycled plastics and ocean waste to create incredible, eco-conscious swimwear.
Buying sustainable swimwear is a simple way to make a positive impact and protect the ocean or lake you love so much. Yes, they tend to be more expensive than something you’ll buy on the high street – but they’ll last a whole lot longer and deliver on long-lasting comfort.
So, these are my favourite eco-friendly swimwear brands, perfect for wild swims, SUPs, and lying on the beach.
THE BEST SUSTAINABLE SWIMWEAR
Here’s the 8 best sustainable swimwear brands, including pretty floral bikinis, women designed swim wear, and active swimsuits.
1. Stay Wild Swim
Best for: swims, SUPs, sunbathing
Design: simple & minimalist
Streamlined, classic swimwear designed to keep you feeling confident. Stay Wild Swim’s beautiful sustainable swimwear pieces are British-made and created with Econyl, a fabric made from regenerated ocean plastic.
Founders Natalie Glaze and Zanna Van Dijk champion body positivity and encourage women to feel comfortable in their swimwear, with a focus on styles that flatter. The zip-up swimsuits are utterly perfect for swimming and surfing because they offer great coverage and stay put – I love this one piece. The brand also uses carbon neutral shipping, which I’d love to see more outdoor brands doing.
Shop Stay Wild Swim
2. Finisterre
Best for: outdoor swims, surfing, SUPs
Design: active beach days
Inspired by the sea, this Cornish brand creates sustainable swimwear made entirely from recycled materials and a botanical waterproof repellent that skips the usual harmful ingredients. Their Econyl fabric uses nylon waste like discarded fishing nets, turning it into sporty swimsuits, two pieces and wetsuits.
Minimalists will love the streamlined, functional designs and high-performance products with pops of red, orange, and blue. B Corp certified, buy from Finisterre knowing everything is eco-friendly from production to packaging.
Shop Finisterre
3. Fourth Element
Best for: outdoor swimming
Design: colourful-all-about-adventure
Fourth Element mix colourful designs with performance pieces, made with recycled nylon from ‘ghost’ fishing nets, delivered in compostable packaging. Their swimsuits and two pieces are perfect for water sports lovers. Designs are minimalist, intentionally without clasps or ties, so you can wear them underneath a wet suit. Tops and bottoms are perfect if you prefer more coverage, whilst versatile long sleeve tops and leggings will protect against UV rays and lurking stingers.
This isn’t just functional swimwear – unique, colourful pieces are designed with prints inspired by the patterns of sea life.
Shop Fourth Element
4. Davy J
Best for: beach days and sunbathing
Design: feminine & minimalist
Beautiful British swimwear made from 100% recycled materials, created with discarded fishing nets and other ocean waste. Designed for performance, this sustainable swimwear brand has designed its pieces with wild swimmers and surfers firmly in mind. Lovely swimsuits and two pieces balance coverage, comfort, style, and best of all, won’t budge in the strongest of currents - this olive swimsuit is top of my wish list.
Best of all, Davy J will recycle your old swimwear if you mail it to them at the end of its life.
Shop Davy J
5. Batoko
Best for: outdoor swims, beach days
Design: playful, fun, minimalist
Colourful and playful sustainable swimwear, made with 100% recycled plastic. Their purple puffin and red lobster one-pieces are instantly recognisable, and super fun. Plus these sustainable swimwear is flattering and comfortable, with a focus on simplicity.
Shop Batoko
6. Woodlike Ocean
Best for: surfs, swims, sunbathing
Design: florals & pretty pieces
Woodlike Ocean’s lovely pieces are inspired by the brand’s love of the ocean and the colourful, gorgeous swimwear is designed to fit beautifully. Made from regenerated fishing nets and other recycled materials, their surf + yoga collection is perfect for water sports.
This is a premium brand, so luxury Italian fabric is mixed with ethical production methods, and ocean friendly biodegradable packaging.
Shop Woodlike Ocean
7. Tide + Seek
Best for: relaxed beach days
Design: colourful, feminine, playful
Tide + Seek a fully sustainable brand, which means everything they do is eco-friendly, from their fabric to packaging. Their pretty pastel swimsuits and bubble gum bikinis are handmade in Bali using Repreve, a fabric made 100% from recycled plastic bottles.
Choose a surf bralette and classic bottoms for something guaranteed to stay put whilst you paddle.
Shop Tide + Seek
8. Patagonia
Best for: active beach days
Design: colourful & practical
An iconic brand, Patagonia have always taken sustainability seriously and there’s a ton of information on their website from the material they use (recycled nylon and spandex) to their ethical production methods (Patagonia are Fairtrade certified).
Sporty-inspired swimsuits offer performance, whilst colourful two-pieces are perfect for paddles.
Shop Patagonia
If you have a sustainable swimwear brand you love, drop me a note in the comments below and I’ll add it to my list!
