I am someone who lives in my bathing suits for the summer. When I was younger I spent whole summers at my cottage so you always had to make sure you were wearing something you could be thrown into the lake wearing. As I’ve gotten older, my swimsuit collection continues to grow but I have found that so many people around me are shopping at sketchy brands like Zaful or Shein. I’m sure that you’ve heard of these brands or seen the Facebook ads; I almost ordered some myself but didn’t like the idea of waiting so long for them to arrive. I was also afraid of what the sizing might look like when I ordered them. It wasn’t until this year that I realized what a problem brands like these are creating; they’re allowing consumers to buy ridiculously cheap items that are of poor quality and can’t be worn for more than one season, which creates an enormous amount of waste. We won’t even get into the human rights violations that go on within the manufacturing facilities of these e-commerce sites like these, because that’s a whole article on its own.
- Londre Bodywear
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This brand is made in Canada, which is always a plus. I have had these swimsuits on my mind for months, they have a variety of designs but they all have one thing in common; they truly hug your figure. These swimsuits give off a minimalist vibe while showing off some skin. But my favourite part – the booty that their bottoms give to you. Like wow, oh wow, they have a special ruching detail that gives anyone that peachy, heart-shaped bum that we all know we want.
Oh and the best part? They are an environmentally conscious company, they state on their website’s about-page: “One of our core values is conservation, and we use only the best available in sustainable textiles and biodegradable and reusable packaging, without sacrificing style and comfort. We also make our product locally and ethically in Vancouver, BC.”
Pricing: $69 – $150
- Minnow Bathers
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This company based out of Toronto works to reduce its carbon footprint by only putting out one collection a year. By keeping their lines smaller they are able to continue making their swimwear or ‘bathers’ – as they call them – by hand in their space in Toronto. Through this process, they are able to put a huge emphasis on the quality of their products. They have more patterned pieces in their collection and their bathers are made to fit all body types. They even released a collection with weed leaves all over them in celebration of marijuana legalization in Canada. And if all of this doesn’t already have you wanting to support them, they continue to show their commitment to the environment by donating $1 from every sale to the Ocean Conservancy in order to support their efforts to protect the world’s oceans and its inhabitants.
Pricing: $86 – $180
- Em & May
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This is one of the smaller brands featured in this article, but I recently discovered them through a friend’s Instagram and I really love their swimwear designs. They don’t currently have swimwear pieces on their website but you can easily order through Instagram. They make every piece to order and their suits are very customizable with their different fabric swatches being saved in one of their Instagram highlights. They are currently working out of St. Johns, NL and Montreal. They have some beautiful fabric swatches available and I love the idea of supporting such a small Canadian business. They work extremely hard to create sustainable pieces that people will love. I personally think their high-waisted tie bottoms are so flattering.
Pricing: It ranges from $40 – $56 per piece and one-pieces start at $98 (simply DM them on Instagram and they can tell you anything you need to know)
- Mimi & August
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This last brand is new to me, but they create such beautiful patterns for their swimwear that I’ve become obsessed. What sets them apart from some other swim brands is the way that they produce their textiles by digital printing, which uses a lot less water than the sublimation technique that most companies tend to use. Even though this is the only swimwear in this article that is produced abroad, the founders of the brand have made sure to see the factories first hand to make sure that their clothing would be made ethically. All of their products are designed in Canada, Montreal to be exact. They take a lot of pride in the quality of their product and they place an emphasis on quality rather than quantity as they don’t want to add to the over-consumption culture we live in. Oh, and they also don’t use ‘professional’ models to showcase their clothing, instead they use their friends, this has allowed them to present their brand as a celebration of body diversity. What more could we ask for?
Pricing: $56 – $150