A New Zealand swimwear brand has seen a surge of interest from the U.S. Kalakoa swimwear was created by former lifesaving champion Toni Burke. She wanted to make an ethical swimwear label which met the needs of the planet as well as the growing number of sustainability-conscious customers.
Kalakoa Swimwear creates bikinis that are made from recycled fishing nets and reclaimed plastic bottles, and because of this, it has gained a huge traction of interest overseas.
As parts of North America relax their COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, Kalakoa has seen a 300 percent increase in site traffic in just two days.
Kalakoa Swimwear uses carvico vita - a material made from discarded fishing nets and reprieve lycra which is made from plastic bottles.
"The next step in closing the loop is to allow customers to send back the swimwear they no longer use so it can be upcycled appropriately in exchange for a credit towards a new product," said Burke.
Burke said she decided to launch Kalakoa Swimwear when she was struggling to find a swimwear label she actually enjoyed wearing herself.
"Swimwear is a saturated market and I wanted to create a product that was beautiful, affordable and sustainable."
