I started AMBRA MADDALENA as a sustainable swim brand in 2017.
I have always stated that I did not want my brand to sacrifice style for sustainability and hoped that customers learning it was made from recycled plastics would think it was an added bonus to the unique designs and bold prints.
In the last 3 years, it has become apparent to me that it is as important to not be wasteful in the pursuit of being 100% sustainable. This is why I have chosen to slightly change our production model.
We will still be using the recycled material, Econyl. However from Summer ’21 we will be using Econyl on our 'bold print' swimwear only. This is because we can print multiple prints on one roll of fabric.
For all our solid colour swimwear we will be using a high quality Italian Nylon/Lycra blend (not recycled). We are able to buy this by the metre and it reduces dead stock waste.
In the past, in order to use the recycled materials for every style in varying colours , we have had to meet the Minimum Order Quantity for that colour roll. For us making ‘x’ amount of swimwear in one colour has left us with dead stock at the end of the season. Unfortunately, fashion is fast and in our infancy we are not able to move it as fast as the industry can dictate.
This decision was hard for me to make as I felt like I had gone back on the foundation of my brand. With this, I asked my self wether being sustainable meant also being wasteful, I did not agree.
Our clothing and swimwear is made in a beautiful and clean manufacture in Bali that I have personally visited many times where the staff are treated with respect and love.
For me, this is just as if not more important that using only the recycled material option.
For now we are continuing to be as sustainable as we can.
AM xxx