You Wouldn't Know It, But These Bikinis Are Made With Recycled Materials

Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean we’re putting away our swimsuits anytime soon. In fact, our bikini collections seem to be ever-growing, ever-evolving, and always relevant. Anyone else relate? Maybe it’s because finding the perfect bikini feels like striking gold, or maybe it’s the proximity we have to the ocean here in Sydney, but as far as we’re concerned, there’s never a wrong time to buy a bikini.

Furthermore, Australia is home to some of the coolest swimwear brands out there—so really, we’re just doing our part to support local business, right? Thankfully, one of our favourite brands has given us yet another reason to shop it's suits all year long.

While we’ve spoken before about how much we love the brand’s boho style, we’ve just discovered something new (and amazing) about Tigerlily. Back in 2015, the brand introduced its first designs made using “Econyl® polyamide fibre made from 100% regenerated material”—according to the brand’s site. Made from recycled nylon, the yarn is created from “waste such as old carpets and fishing nets that litter our oceans”. Therefore, Tigerlily is not only recycling old materials, but also directly minimising pollution in our oceans.

Operating with a “closed loop” mentality, Tigerlily aims to create its products from what would otherwise be considered waste. With goals like saving fossil fuels, cleaning oceans, and reducing CO2 emissions, the brand states: “Ethical sourcing and sustainability has become an integral part of who we are as a brand, small changes to our approach such as the inclusion of more renewable materials is an urgent driver of motivation for the team behind the scenes at Tigerlily.”

In an industry that is so driven by constant consumerism, waste seems almost inevitable. However, that’s part of the mindset that has allowed fashion to become one of the planet’s biggest polluters. To see brands like Tigerlily making strides to reduce its own waste, while recycling waste in our oceans is something we can all learn from. They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and Tigerlily is proving we should all re-evaluate the way we think about textiles.

While it may seem like a looming fact to address on a personal level, making small changes is something everyone can do. Shopping sustainable brands and recycling waste materials are simple steps you can take today to start reversing the damage that fashion has done to the environment. After all, if they can make swimwear out of littered fishing nets, chances are you can find another use for that glass peanut butter jar (if you’re drawing a blank, MyDomaine Australia has some genius ideas).

In the meantime, we’ll be scrolling through Tigerlily’s website lusting over the cute bikinis. Keep scrolling to see some of our favourites. And don’t feel guilty if you end up buying one: It’s recycling, after all!

We don't know about you, but we'll be packing these swimsuits on our next holiday.

Related: Newsflash: The Average Australian Woman Only Wears 33% Of Her Wardrobe