How often do you purchase new swimwear? Are you a last minute grab anything that’ll do? Because after all, with fast-fashion players offering a full set/one piece for less than a tenner- what does it matter if it only lasts the one trip? That’s exactly the fuel to the fire (pardon the pun) but with our growing appetite for accessible and affordable pieces that’ll simply “do” naturally, is only driving demand amongst the fast-fashion industry.
In comparison to outerwear for example, although affordability remains a key factor, we’re much more inclined to invest in a coat/jacket we know we’d hope to get a good few “years” out of, despite generally only wearing day-in-day-out across the colder months, which tends to go back wardrobe until the following year. So why don’t we purchase swimwear likewise, with the view to longevity through investing in “quality” pieces, and the key word being quality. Because we all know, it’s not as clean-cut as high-cost necessarily meaning high-quality.
Going back to the conceptual days of RE.BORN, I was adamant I wanted to create a brand with purpose. A label that bridged the gap between affordability and accessibility. More often than not, as soon as there’s any mention of “recycled” we’re often cornered with the whole conscious vs cost. The nature of the emerging “haul” culture amongst content creators/influencers has escalated since the rise of TikTok, and the growing influence they have particularly among the Gen-Z consumers is astounding.
On the other hand, inevitably we’ve seen growth among emerging “slow” and “sustainable” advocates, including the converts sharing their loved for “preloved” through a more conscious and considered approach to investing in timeless/capsule pieces. Ultimately encouraging you to consider cost per wear and longevity for your pieces, through getting more mileage out of your clothing through year-round wear.
It can be as simple as considering how many times you’ll wear said item (to work out cost/wear) as well as shopping secondhand and investing in “quality” pieces as opposed to fast-fashion giants. More so, through supporting small businesses particularly through what’s been a real rollercoaster for us all. Generally speaking, not only are you supporting local but as investment pieces these are often handmade/produced in small-run and therefore not mass-manufactured. It’s all about doing a little of the lot, the small things that make the biggest difference when done at scale. By giving some though to our tips & tricks to help you shop wisely, not weekly and you’re already on your way!