Sustainability is Sexy is the motto of Vitamin A. They believe that style and substance can coexist. The founder, Ameahlia Stevens, grew up with a love of nature. Before Vitamin A she learnt from the best, Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia.
Getting started was difficult as there were no fabric suppliers for recycled swimwear. So she took action and for 3 years worked with the top mills in Italy, Canada and California. The result was EcoLux, the first premium swim fabric made from recycled nylon.
Vitamin A: Swimwear From Recycled Fabrics
Vitamin A designs combine the founder’s passion for the ocean, simple, clean and sophisticated design and sustainable innovation.
Recycled Material
Vitamin A uses its signature recycled fabrics:
EcoLux – A superfine matte jersey with a silken texture made from recycled nylon fibers.
EcoRib – A stretch-ribbed swim fabric made from nylon fiber scraps (knitted as standard polyamide from oil), otherwise destined for the landfill. It’s crafted by a mechanical regeneration system that uses no chemical materials saving 0.63 liters of oil and 33 liters of water per meter of fabric.
EcoTex – Another superfine fabric made from recycled nylon this time with a scrunchie texture.
They also include some materials like recycled cotton and recycled polyester and plant-based material sourced from the castor bean.
Certifications
- All materials are certified to meet the global Oeko-Tex standard for safe textiles.
Other Kudos
- They employ waterless digital printing technology.
- Incorporate other sustainable materials into our beachwear like Linen, organic cotton, recycled cotton, Tencel®, and polyester fibre made from recycled plastic bottles.
- More than 95% of Vitamin A products are manufactured in Southern California, reducing their emissions for shipping and transporting raw materials.
- They care about the people who make their goods.
- Vitamin A partners with and donates a percentage of sales towards environmental organizations that protect and preserve clean water. This includes 1% For the Planet, Oceana, Plastic Oceans, 5 Gyres, Surfrider Foundation, SD Coast Keeper and Heal the Bay.
- Plus they donate a portion of their sales to Girls inc., a nonprofit delivering life-changing programs to help girls overcome serious barriers to grow up smart, strong and bold.
- They partner with One Planted Tree which plants one tree for every dollar donated.
- They use 100% recycled packaging.
