ANK's Eco-Chic
Photos by Volker Corell
Being eco-chic in the swim world can be a difficult task. Yet designers are working to develop practices and products to be environmentally conscious. Some are working on the innovation front to utilize and develop fabrications that are both functional and eco-friendly—think L*Space’s green capsule collection in the sustainable Sorona fabric and Eco-Panda’s line made from recycled nylon. And others are being socially conscious by contributing to charities or by finding ways to include eco-friendly materials into their collections. For Mirla Sabino, this meant creating a beach bag collection made from combinations of leather, straw and recycled rubber. The Brazilian designer recently debuted the collection on the runway with her ANK swim and resort wear line during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami Beach. “I’ve been trying every year to use something recycled because I think you need to be concerned about what’s going on in the world,” said Sabino. “It’s really hard to implement that into a swimsuit because of the stretching—especially because we use all the fine fabrics,” she explained. But Sabino found a group of craftspeople in Brazil who do beautiful handwork—and the eco-friendly handbag line was born. Here are a few images of the collection and its Miami runway debut.
