KIDLY Label's Recycled Swimwear Story

We initially launched KIDLY Label swimwear in 2020, in the middle of the first lockdown. Far from ideal! No-one knew for sure if they'd be getting anywhere near the beaches or enjoying anything like a normal summer. But we knew that we wanted out first swimwear range to be stylish, sustainable and sun-safe. For Summer 2021 we're introducing new pieces and even more colours. Here's how the range all came together.

The checklist

Before any designing happened, we started with a checklist of features. Sun-safe - that's a no-brainer. And swimwear's almost like your child's summer uniform, so it also has to be comfy and elastic enough to pull easily onto a wriggly baby or impatient toddler, but mustn’t sag with wear. It has to look good too - obviously!

Finally, summer gets us outside lots - appreciating what a precious resource the natural world is. So we felt it was really important that KIDLY Label swimwear range should be sustainable too.

The sustainable fabric

Our design team created seven key pieces that can be paired and even layered. We chose a high quality recycled fabric made from 80% recycled pre-consumer nylon waste.

Swimwear lifestyle shot — Freya loves the Recycled Long Sleeve Swimsuit.

"The fabric feels beautifully soft and has UVP50+ protection," explains Vic Tang, KIDLY's Head of Creative. "Choosing it fits in with our KIDLY Label ‘Going Green’ mission, which means we make sustainable choices wherever we can. And it give us the quality of garment we know our customers expect.”

The colours

Finally, we chose colours. We always put a lot of thought into our KIDLY Label palette. The joke in the office is that our designers even dream about colour! Our swimwear for Summer 2021 has more colours that tone, mix and match. You can choose contrasting separates or go head-to-toe in one colour. Or pick neutrals that'll team with any shade. We've also introduced on-trend colourblock pieces, with our Recycled Swim Shorts and Recycled Frill Swimsuit. And don't forget a pair (or two) of KIDLY Label Jelly Sandals!

The photoshoot

In 2020, social distancing meant we couldn’t shoot with any of our usual models. This year, we've been limited to one studio shoot with Fei, daughter of one of the KIDLY team, as our star model. But just like last year, our snap-happy Parent Testers have come to the rescue. Their talented mums and dads have produced gorgeous photos of Roux, Freya and Penny modeling the range at their lovely local beaches, in their back gardens and even in a hot tub!