THEY’RE taking plastic out of the seas so you can swim in them, and despite being in business less than a year, a Wokingham swimwear brand is growing, and showcased new pieces at London Kids Fashion Week last month.
Started by mum of four, Elli Teague, Lexi-Bella swimwear makes eco-friendly swimsuits for children from recycled ocean plastics.
The swimsuits also offer 50SPF coverage — with hard-wearing fabrics made from plastic bags and bottles found in the sea.
This month, Ms Teague has showcased her designs at Mini Mode, a childrens’ designer show, held during London Fashion Week.
The event launched five years ago, and has grown to highlight designers from across the globe.
And fifth of ticket sales go towards the Osteopathic Centre for Children — who provide specialist paediatric osteopathy for perinatal women, babies, children and teens.
Having launched her company in April last year, Ms Teague was proud to be able to display her costumes.
“We’re just getting into the industry, this stuff is all new to us,” she said.
“We did two shows, one for buyers and one for consumers, and my daughter modelled in both too.”
Lexi-Bella swimwear will also feature at a North London pop-up shopping event next week, in aid of Chai Cancer Care — which supports Jewish cancer patients.
“Things are really picking up for us now,” added Ms Teague. “And our social media has gone through the roof.”
The business began when Ms Teague spotted the need for more hard-wearing swimming costumes through her previous job as a swimming coach.
“I saw how a lot of swimming costumes looked great when new, but they soon wore out and had to be replaced.
“They would end up in landfill but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t find sustainable swimsuits which were also stylish and provided protection with a high SPF factor.
“Over the years I have spent so much time hunting for the perfect swimwear, something pretty, sassy and that can stand up to the intense play children love.
“I investigated using recycled plastic polluting the oceans. We have all seen how much plastic waste is out there so I wondered if it could be put to good use.”
Ms Teague’s pieces are currently made on the Indonesian island of Bali because she couldn’t find a UK-based company to create her designs.
But to save fabric waste, the costumes are laser cut using the latest technology that uses every scrap of material.
“And when Lexi-Bella swimwear eventually wears out, it can be recycled rather than sending it to landfill,” said Ms Teague.
For more information about the swimwear, visit www.lb-swim.co.uk
