Sustainable Swimwear Brand - OHOY SWIM

Anna & Henna are beach lovers. From Scandinavia the world is their oyster. Their passion for travel comes hand in hand with their awareness for preservation of the oceans. Through consciousness, and their love of the beach, they give birth to their sustainable swimwear brand OHOY SWIM, made with Econyl fabric.

I actually came across their brand quite often, by chance. Some of my friends in Sri Lanka all the way to friend in New Zealand have worn the vivid OHOY SWIM wear, which has caught my eye. Sharing their love to dip and the responsibility for preservation I am thrilled to bring Anna & Hanna’s story to you.

Shopping sustainable is just a click away. I love it when style unites with mindfulness. When conscious consumption meets style. When we can be part of the movement while still enjoying the luxury in fashion.

Because we believe fashion can do better. And so can we.

I LOVE YOUR SWIMWEAR BRAND AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE. COULD YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR SELF AND YOUR BRAND?

We created OHOY SWIM as a team. Henna Marie Kaarlelah has a background in Fashion sales, she worked majorly for Scandinavian brands in Finland. Anna Maria Nielsen, from Denmark, has a background in fashion photography.

WHAT LED YOU TO CREATE OHOY SWIM?

We both use a lot of swimwear and have been struggling to find items that last, keep the elasticity as well as being made from regenerated plastics. Using a recycled plastic to create a yarn is far more sustainable than producing a fiber from scratch. Thats why we decided to use Econyl fabric.

We also wanted to create a new product where there were no short cuts ethically, starting from the design, fibers to where it was manufactured and how. We wanted to create a product that most people can afford and make that choice of choosing a eco friendly brand more appealing to the mainstream consumer. A lot of brands using an eco friendly fabric are placed in a luxury category for the pricing.

OHOY SWIM had to be sustainable, natural, modern and simplistic. We want to be a brand that produce products for active women.

WAS IT HARD TO MARRY REALITY WITH YOUR DREAMS?

It’s very hard to start a business. Any business I guess! But to keep working on not when it seems impossible and when you get no salary for a very long time. It’s been good to be two people working together.

WHERE DO YOU PLAN YOUR BRAND TO BE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS? 

We plan for our brand to be a successful swimwear brand that still creates affordable great swimsuits, and to be at a place where we can add new products and grow.

Our goal is to be a company that is inspiring others.

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE SPOT BY THE SEA?

Anna’s favourite spots are in Oman and Hawaii. Henna loves the Finnish seaside and Indonesia.

WE LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT INNOVATION, AS WELL AS ABOUT SELF-CARE. CAN YOU SHARE YOUR WAYS OF FITTING SELF-CARE INTO YOUR ROUTINE WITH US?

• Self-care is important! Having worked as a freelancer and now business owner for most of my years as an adult, I have come to learn that my mornings are the most important.
• I choose to have slow mornings, even on the busiest of days. I need to have time with my coffee and my emails, and creative research.
• I also listen to a lot of podcasts, and I surf to stay sane! It’s important to have something in your life outside of you job, that you love doing. For me, surfing is a time where I can feel like a child again. Its’ playing and having fun at the same time as getting exercise and being with friends. Being in nature and the water is such a vital part of my well being.
• I buy less things now where I am older, and value quality items that I use a lot. The worst feeling is having stuff I don’t use. Products I use are mostly natural and organic and I recently just started using: The Ordinary as it’s affordable and transparent.
• I use less makeup and don’t color my hair anymore. I really think that age brings a lot of less fuss! I appreciate good music and time with friends and family. 
• I think an important element of self-care is also to regularly surround yourself with people who inspires you and who are motivated to create. It rubs off on you and puts you in a mindset of aspiration.

ECONYL® regenerated nylon is a product that can help you close the loop. Made from waste, it's infinitely recyclable and can unleash infinite possibilities for makers, creators and consumers.

It's all part of the ECONYL® brand vision to make the world a better place by pioneering closed loop regeneration processes and delivering sustainable products. 8 July 2019