The terms eco-friendly and sustainable are thrown around often nowadays which can make it hard to find products that actually fulfill these titles. After a lot of research, Sharai decided to make our first collection out of Carvico Vita because we believe it truly lives up to these terms.
ECONYLⓇ is a 100% regenerated multifilament polyamide yarn manufactured by Aquafil. The yarn is made from post-consumer material such as ocean plastic, abandoned fishing nets, and waste fabric. Carvico uses this yarn to create the fabric used in our bikinis which is composed of 78% of the recycled nylon and 22% elastane.
Compared to virgin oil-based nylons, creating ECONYL has an estimated 80% lower global warming impact. Nylon is typically created with ridiculous amounts of water, fossil fuel derivative hexamethylenediamine (a corrosive chemical), and large amounts of nitrous oxides being produced in the process.
In comparison, the production of ECONYL starts with the collection of post-consumer waste. This waste is then processed to recover as much nylon as possible, purified and broken down, then turned back into pure nylon that's identical to its virgin oil derived predecessor. The production of recycled nylon also uses less water than cotton, less land, and less energy!
With Carvico Vita, you don't have to give up on quality, performance, or style either! This eco-friendly fabric is chlorine resistant, UPF 50+, sun cream and oil resistant, and pilling resistant.
Carvico Vita is certified as STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX, one of the world’s best labels for textiles tested for harmful substances. It also meets the Global Recycle Standard and the Recycled Content Standard (RCS).
We want to be completely transparent with all of our customers though, and bring to light the negatives of this fabric as well. At the end of the day, nylon is still plastic. During its lifetime, the pieces made can release micro-plastics when washed. The best way to reduce this impact is to hand wash your bikini pieces - this also helps your bikinis preserve its integrity so you can enjoy it for longer!
Overall, we love Carvico Vita and are so excited we got to use it for our first collection ever! We will definitely be incorporating this fabric into many future drops, and are excited for new advancements in sustainable fashion.