Sustainable custom-made swimwear – bikini and swimsuits

Who we are?

SWIMBE^® gives a unique possibility for everyone to have their dream swimwear - in any color, design and style! We can create a swimsuit or bikini tailored to your measurements, lifestyle and needs - it will be one of a kind!

We believe that every person is special and strives to fulfil one's life with unique moments, experiences, colors and emotions. Variety has always been a characteristic of human life. And swimwear can reflect that!

Where we are?

The company was created and is working in Latvia - our sewing facility is located in Valmiera city. We are very happy to live and work in picturesque Valmiera, next to the river Gauja - in a city that is green just like our enterprise.

We have created a zero-waste manufacturing process - we are making small accessories, like headbands and scrunchies from clipping or donate cuts to the local NGO where people with special needs make new products out of them.

Microplastic

Each time you wash any clothes made from synthetic materials, microplastic is released into the water, invisible to the eye. Then it passes through existing wastewater treatment plants into rivers and into the sea. There it is eaten by the water inhabitants and later you eat these inhabitants with your sea products. It is estimated that one person eats ~ 250g of microplastics per year. This chain works with all fabrics, whether they are made directly from oil or plastic waste.

We will not try to convince you that our swimsuits do not release microplastic. We do not engage in "greenwashing". On the contrary, we are looking at the problem and thinking about how to solve it. Therefore, we are the first company in Latvia to hand over our clothes to a laboratory for testing for microplastic pollution.

In cooperation with the Latvian Institute of Hydroecology and with the support of LIAA, we performed our swimsuit washing test. The most important conclusion - the most pollution is released during the first wash - 56% of the total amount. Therefore, as manufacturers, we can take responsibility for this problem and do the first wash of our garments, using microplastic bags from GUPPY FRIEND, and in the near future, we will install a special filter from Planet Care.

UPF

Sunscreens have an SPF (sun protection factor) protection factor, while fabrics have a UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) index, as they also "transmit" the sun's UV radiation. SPF primarily protects against UVB rays (unless it is a broad-spectrum product), while clothing also absorbs UVA radiation.

UVA rays are those that go much deeper into the skin and therefore cause skin cancer or melanoma. This type of cancer is one of the most common in the world and is often noticed too late. So regularly inspect your skin, do not visit the solarium (solarium lamps emit 95-99% UVA radiation and only 1-5% UVB), and treat the sunbathing with caution.

The UPF of the fabric used in the outer layer of our swimsuit is 50+. So this fabric blocks 98% of UV rays - both UVA and UVB! If you have sensitive skin and you want it to be protected under a swimsuit, then #swimbe swimwear will be the right choice! You can find out more about the UPF index here.

Our fabrics

Normally swimwear is made from synthetic fabrics - nylon, polyester, elastane - as they can manage UV radiation, salty water, chlorine in the pools, many washes etc. But synthetic fabrics are made from oil. So in essence they are the same as regular plastic. There is a prognosis that by 2050 there will be more plastic waste in the world's waters than there will be fish. So more and more designers all around the world swich to recycled fabrics for their garments.

SWIMBE^® uses unique fabrics for swimwear creation. They are made in an Italian company Carvico out of old fishing nets, carpets, PET bottles etc. These fabrics feel and look like regular ones so we can create great garments without using more of the planet's resources. At this moment we use two fabrics: VITA PL and Renew Cult.

We at SWIMBE^® love this planet and we believe, that you love it too! So help us create it a better place to live for all creatures!

Our values

FREEDOM – to choose, enjoy, have fun and celebrate life! Freedom of style and looks. Freedom of the body from all the rules and standards. Freedom to enjoy summer, beach, sauna, pool, SPA and anything else we want!

INSPIRATION – we want to inspire all women to feel good, special, beautiful and love herself. And we want to inspire other potential possible entrepreneurs to create a business by sharing our experience on this journey.

RESPONSIBILITY – to our clients, our team and nature. Taking responsibility for our choices as a company and as people.

HONESTY – transparency and honesty in all business aspects.

DARING – we dare to create, dream and do. SWIMBE is an act of daring – two unique personalities come together and create a brand that gives an opportunity for other women to be authentic and unique.

SWIMBE^® story

Brand SWIMBE^® was created by social enterprise “My Swimwear” Ltd., which was established in autumn of 2018 by apparel designer Elena Dmitrijeva and entrepreneur Laura Zukovska-Supe.

Social enterprise means that we work without profit - we cannot pay dividends ourselves - all money goes to solve socially important issues, in our case - waste management and environmental protection.

Idea about such company emerge for personal need - it was impossible to find sustainably made good-looking swimwear that would be aligned with one's lifestyle and sense of style.

As we could not find such an offer, we decided to make swimwear ourselves - garments that will love women in all shapes and sizes and will be made sustainably.

Support

On a daily basis, SWIMBE^® receives support from 3 beautiful ladies - our advisory board. Social Enterprise Law in Latvia makes such board a mandatory element of business life but we do not see this as a problem but as an opportunity to receive advice from 3 very competent ladies!

They are Jana Simanovska, Dace Akule un Santa Krastina. Jana holds PhD in environmental engineering and knows all bout chemicals. Dace for many years worked at public policy think tank PROVIDUS and now manages several projects dealing with sustainable fashion. Santa is the leader of Climate-KIC HUB Latvia and works as a volunteer at NGO homo ecos. Together these ladies help us to evolve and become a better company each day!