By lindastcyr
Can we save the planet with one bikini at a time? A designer featured during Swim Week in Miami thinks so. The first ever fully compostable bathing suit appeared on the runaway at the Setai. Designer Linda Loudermilk, a pioneer of the eco-fashion movement, created the first compostable swimsuit from a plant starch that had been turned into fabric.
Loudermilk said of the bathing suit design, “You can use it again or you can throw it away. It’s very inexpensive, so it’s something you can give to your guests but it has a fashion forward look.” According to the “Luxury Eco” designer, the compostable bathing suit will not dissolve on a woman’s body when she wears it swimming, but if she decides she does not want to wear the suit anymore all she will have to do is bury it. The suit will decompose and breakdown in 180 days leaving no traces of it behind.
Loudermilk was not the only designer to showcase eco-friendly and sustainable swimwear during Miami’s Swim Week. In the Haute Natured Swimwear Show many fashion experts showcased sustainability for the beach. Eco Swim, Meadow and Mae all joined Luxury Eco in showing off swim fashions designed to be Earth friendly. Up-cycled fabrics, repurposed materials, biodegradable plant oil and organic fibers were used to make sexy, stylish beach wear an incredible part of Swim Week.
Eco-designers face challenges when using sustainable material for swimsuits. For example, Jenni Saylor of Eco Swim by AquaGreen claims that “it’s impossible to make a suit that will appeal to women without at least a little spandex, aka Lycra, which helps a suit cling in the right places.”
Both eco-couture designers believe in making fashion that is positive for the Earth. Loudermilk said of the eco-friendly swimwear movement, “This is the new meaning of luxury. How many Gucci glasses and Louis Vuitton bags and products can you have? The luxury eco movement is giving people a way to be proud of what they’re choosing to wear.”
The Haute Natured swimwear show wasn’t just about showcasing eco-fashions. The runway show also benefited the International Seakeepers Society which promotes education opportunities on ocean issues, protects the marine environment and focuses on science for marine research and ocean conservation.
Article courtesy of ecorazzi.com