The Sustainable Swimwear Pieces You'll Want to Live In

If living more sustainably isn’t on your to-do list yet, we have both good and bad news. The bad news is that you’re late, but the good news is that you’re not too late. Bikini season is right around the corner—we can’t let you miss out on the coolest sustainable swimwear made in California. 

With plenty of brands coming forward with pseudo-sustainable wear, it can be tough to determine which ones are the real deal. Don’t let that discourage you from doing your best to choose sustainable swimwear. We handpicked our favorite California-based brands that are making waves in the world of ethical swimwear.

So, don your eco-friendly swimsuits, slather on your mineral-based sunscreen, add these songs to your beach day playlist, and get ready to hit the beach in style. Helping reverse climate change has never looked so good.

California's Sustainable Swimwear Brands to Know Now

Seea

Seea knows that garment production is an intricately messy world, but it's doing its best to make it suck just a little less. Seea’s solution? Selecting fabrics and designs with the environmental impact being at the forefront of the process. 

Not only does this eco-friendly swimwear brand use the most sustainable fabrics available, but it also values having a face-to-face relationship with the people who cut and sew its products. That’s why Seea’s products are made entirely within a 70-mile radius in San Clemente—there’s nothing sexier than fair trade swimwear.

BOLD Swim

Los Angeles-based BOLD Swim is for the unapologetic Californian woman with a soft spot for the environment. Pushing for inclusiveness in size and diversity, this sustainable swim brand aims to empower its customers to live boldly. You’ll find sizes ranging from S to XXXL on the BOLD Swim website, so you know this BIPOC-led brand takes its mission of inclusivity very seriously. 

Every step the company takes—from the fabrics used to the sewing process—is eco-conscious. So rest assured, any piece you choose on the sustainable swimwear brand’s website is made with luxurious, non-toxic, biodegradable, and UV-protected fabric made in California with love.

The Top Sustainable Bathing Suits Brands

Galamaar

Galamaar’s aesthetic perfectly matches its hometown, Los Angeles—classic and bright with a timeless feel to it. The brand uses the environmentally friendly  ECONYL fabric to make super cute suits. Galamaar also takes its pledge to sustainability a step further by using locally manufactured pad inserts, recycled hang tags, regenerated mixed metal hardware, and eco-friendly packaging materials.

Perhaps the most important step Galamaar takes when producing ethically made swimwear is its waste-to-wear approach. This means that the brand uses waste such as fishing nets (which accounts for nearly 10 percent of all ocean pollution) to create its swoon-worthy elegant suits.

Vitamin A

Hailing from the coastal town of Laguna Beach, Vitamin A is here to make sure you look your best when you hit up the top O.C. beaches. The ethical swimwear brand uses its own premium fabric dubbed EcoLux to manufacture its pretty pieces. Other materials used to make the swimsuits include organic cotton, linen, and Tencel lyocell. On top of that, the sustainable swimwear brand makes its prints with water-reducing digital technology whenever possible and aims for maximum sustainability with packaging and distribution as well.

Thought Vitamin A couldn’t get any better? Well, the brand acknowledges the complexity of sustainability and aims to be as informationally accessible as possible. So, under each product available online, you’ll find info on how much water was saved, emission was avoided, energy was reserved, and waste was diverted to make the sustainable beachwear what it is.

Affordable Sustainable Swimwear

Jessica Rey

Sustainability is often associated with higher price tags. While it’s true that eco-friendly companies charge more than fast fashion companies to continue their fair trade practices, that doesn’t mean affordable sustainable fashion doesn’t exist. Jessica Rey is one L.A.-based sustainable swimwear company that sets the record straight.

Find reasonably priced swimsuits with a modest yet playful flair at Jessica Rey, and choose your suit knowing that you’ll be wearing it for years to come. The wide range of styles offered by this affordable sustainable swimwear brand includes swim dresses, tankinis, and swim tees. Who said modesty and sustainability couldn’t be stylish?

Dippin' Daisy's

For affordable sustainable swimwear with fun and youthful designs, look no further than Dippin' Daisy's. This brand implements a variety of sustainable practices such as using recycled materials, biodegradable packaging, and an eco-friendly digital printing process that uses less water and ink than traditional dying, setting the bar high on sustainability. The ethically made swimwear brand also shares a two-year plan online to be transparent with its customers about its future sustainability goals.

Dippin' Daisy's proudly states that 95 percent of the products are made from recycled pre and post-consumer nylon. But that doesn’t mean they’re any less soft than your favorite suits at home (they’re even cuter too). Don’t forget to check out Dippin' Daisys’ RE:PURPOSE line to get the coolest one-pieces and bikinis made from deadstock fabrics. We’re looking at you, black and beige tie-dye bikinis.

Sustainable Beachwear You'll Love

PrAna

Thought we forgot to cover sustainable beachwear? Never. We can’t let you hit the California beaches without helping you complete a full killer sustainable look. For the cutest beach dresses and kaftans, look no further than prAna. The eco-friendly swimwear brand aims for steady progress instead of perfection, setting realistic sustainability goals for its consumers.

prAna makes fun, functional apparel that lets you flex your beach-loving spirit without negatively impacting the environment. Besides cover-ups and sustainable bathing suits, the brand also makes the cutest and most comfortable sun tops you have to wear when hitting up the best surf spots, whether in Los Angeles or the Bay Area.

Frankies Bikinis

Frankies Bikinis has already become a household name in the world of high-end swimwear for its California-classic vibe and bright and comfortable swimsuits. While not all swimsuits offered on the online store are sustainable, the brand does have a sustainable line with the cutest beachwear sets (drooling over the halter dresses). If there was a best-dressed list for your local California beach, you’d definitely make the list with your head-to-toe sustainable beachwear look.