As pollution of our earth is drastically increasing every year, and fast fashion is becoming a phenomenon in today’s society, the amount of material and fabric waste is increasingly high. This includes the mass creation of fast fashion swimwear in the industry. Due to seasonal fashion trends and retail prices dropping, the disposal of unwanted swimwear increases every year, with 38% of consumers from the US purchasing swimwear at least once a year. As swimwear is made predominantly from plastics, this poses a significant problem as the plastics used are not biodegradable, contributing to the pollution of our oceans and the harming of sea life.

My motivation for this project stems from my interests in textiles, sustainability and environmental awareness. Growing up on the Northern Beaches, I am constantly exposed to the beautiful ocean environment rich in sea life. I have chosen to focus on the swimwear aspect of textile waste as it is a largely unrecognised issue within society and one that is having an increasingly negative impact on our natural environment.