More Than Swim is highlighting the plight of sea turtles, plastic pollution in oceans and focusing on ecological business practices with a re-brand. More Than Swim Creative Director Sandra Palmer is driven to create a community of eco-conscious, like-minded people who care about the environment. The brand’s original name, 1st Man 1st Woman, alluded to Adam and Eve, with a product focus on lingerie and swimwear.
“My brand is about creating a community. It’s about trying to make ethical and ecological choices. It’s about education and living the best life we can, and leaving the world in the best way we can,” says Ms Palmer, Creative Director and Founder of More Than Swim. “More Than Swim is a name that encompasses what my brand stands for now. It’s more than just swimwear – it’s about community, the ocean, our wildlife, our planet and us. I want us to work together to elevate life.”
More Than Swim will donate 1% of all sales from the website to the charity Plastic Oceans UK, working to solve the environmental issue of plastic pollution through education, science and sustainability programmes. Ms Palmer has collaborated with this charity before but she has highlighted the plight of sea turtles with a new collection.
All species of sea turtle have ingested plastic, 52% of all sea turtles are predicted to have eaten plastic bags (mistaken for jellyfish), particularly the endangered Leatherback Turtle which exclusively feeds on jellyfish, and sea turtles are among the top 10 endangered marine creatures. A single item of plastic has a 22% chance of killing a sea turtle, rising to 50% after 14 items, as experts believe plastic ingestion is one of the biggest threats to sea turtles.
More Than Swim is tackling the big problems in the fashion industry by using eco-friendly ink for patterns; printing fabrics using heat transfer, so chemicals are not sent into the water system; and using biodegradable packaging. Manufactured and handmade in the UK to reduce carbon footprint and ensure quality control, each product made to order and cut to size to reduce landfill.
