Meet the Vancouver Designer Making Chic Swimwear From Recycled Bottles

Ainsley Rose and Hannah Todd were on a trip to Mexico in 2016 when the inevitable swimsuit conversation came up. “Most of the suits out there are either appropriate for a Vegas pool party or a swim meet,” says Rose, “and at that time there was nothing sustainable in the swimwear market.” The two friends (and roommates) had only tangential connections to the industry—Rose had a background in wedding photography and Todd did a brief stint at Lululemon—but they decided to dive headfirst into the deep end with Londre Bodywear.

Londre’s swimsuits are made from recycled plastic bottles gathered from beaches and streets in Taiwan, which has “some of the most efficient and productive recycling in the world,” says Todd. The plastic is melted down and spun into fabric at an Oeko-Tex 100-certified textile mill and then shipped to Vancouver, where all of the suits are made. The swimwear may be made with recycled bottles, but you wouldn’t know it. The buttery-soft compression material feels more luxurious than traditional suit fabric, and Londre’s sleek styles are designed to last.

Rose and Todd’s mindfulness goes beyond sustainable manufacturing—it’s evident in their marketing, too. “From the beginning, we vowed never to Photoshop our images,” explains Todd, who struggled with an eating disorder as a teen. “We want to be able to empower all of our customers to feel their best.”