Watching mainstream designers hop on board the sustainable fashion train has made me increasingly frustrated. It’s brilliant when big brands adopt sustainable manufacturing practices, but they consistently forget about considering the way they design, and continue to encourage overconsumption. It’s simply not sustainable for brands to keep producing clothes at the rate that they are. It’s not sustainable for consumers to consume clothes at the rate we are either. When I come across Kickstarters who understand this; I regain hope for the future of fashion.
The Kickstarter of the moment: Miss Cosmopolita Bikini Transformer.
Throwing her work as a geologist out the window to pursue her dreams of owning a business, founder, Inna, has designed a sustainable concept that makes me incredibly excited. Inna has used her love of sustainable fashion and sewing, to address the lack of versatility and sustainability in swimwear in the most fun way possible.
“I wanted to create something multi-functional, so we can buy less, create more looks and at the same time generate less waste.”
The Miss Cosmopolita Bikini Transformer is sustainably designed, made from recycled materials, and rebels against overconsumption and textile waste. Best of all, it’s fun! The myth that sustainable fashion is unfashionable has been totally busted with this swimwear Kickstarter on the loose.
Sustainable Design
A bikini transformer is a bikini that you can reconstruct and change in endless ways. Essentially, you build your own bikini. Choose the straps, cups, bases, bottoms and create your own bikini set. Some swimsuits can be worn up to 26 different ways, and the bottom turns into a onesie and into a mini skirt too! Changing the parts around involves little effort, so it’s super easy to change them on the go. This bikini concept means you can rock a completely different look on the beach every single day of your summer holiday.
Design is one thing, but Miss Cosmopolita doesn’t stop there when it comes to sustainability.
Sustainable Materials
“Seeing polluted beaches in South East Asia made a significant impact on me. I love those places, and it hurts me so much to see them in such dire condition! I knew that my swimwear company would use recycled materials, and that we would help to raise awareness around sustainability.”
Miss Cosmopolita swimwear is made from ECONYL; recycled yarn that is produced with reclaimed fishing nets, carpets, and other nylon waste. ECONYL is ultra-resistant, and made in Italy. The swimwear fabrics are also digitally printed, reducing the garment’s environmental impact even further. Compared to screen printing, digital printing requires less water, dyes, chemical waste, and electricity. Digital printing is best for the longevity of the swimwear too. ECONYL yarn feels just like usual swimwear material, but uses up waste instead of creating it.
Sustainable Labour
After the Miss Cosmopolita Bikini Transformer Kickstarter has been backed (I’m sure it will be!), the swimsuits will be made in a factory in Bali, who pride themselves on ethical practices and worker engagement. The workers are paid up to three times the standard wage, and are part of a profit-sharing scheme where five per cent of the profits are divvied up between all staff every month. Worker training, development, and involvement in decision making is important to the manufacturers, and it’s these ethical working standards that have grown the factory’s positive reputation in the swimwear industry. Although Inna and her husband (at the moment, representing the full Miss Cosmopolita team) have thought of ethics and sustainability all the way from design to compostable courier bags, their main mission is to spread awareness around sustainability.
“People are so used to cheap, low-quality clothes that they can wear once and throw away, that they don’t understand the value of good quality, ethically made clothing.”
Inspired by leaders like Zero Waste Daniel, Bea Johnson, and our very own founder of Eco Warrior Princess, Jennifer Nini, Miss Cosmopolita are determined to bring sustainability to the forefront of everyone’s minds. Launching their Kickstarter is just the beginning of their mission to teach others that their habits and purchases have an impact on the planet: we get to choose what that impact looks like, every single day.
As a traveller and avid swimmer, I’m personally drawn to the accessibility of a bikini that could help my light packing woes, and ensure I can fit everything in my little carry-on bag without having to straddle my bag while I do up the zip! The Miss Cosmopolita Bikini Transformer exists to serve a purpose for all travellers, girls on the go, and women who need that extra versatility. Plus, when else in your life do you ever get to design your own bikini?
The amount of thought and energy that has gone into these swimsuits is overwhelming. I don’t think I’ll ever understand the amount of creativity, time and mental energy that has gone into these sustainable swimsuits. From an initial vision to endless sketches, new ideas to testing; this concept is the first I’ve seen of its kind and I hope it won’t be the last.
If you’d like to back the Miss Cosmopolita Bikini Transformer Kickstarter, make sure you check out their fun video and concept descriptions. This could be the only bikini you own for the rest of your life.
To learn more or make a pledge on Kickstarter, click here.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Miss Cosmopolita. Images supplied. All opinions are the writer’s own. Specific product information is checked with the company. For more information about our policies, click here.
