Did you know that Bon+Co swimwear is made using fabric constructed out of recycled plastic bottles? It is a pretty amazing process to create the yarn, which you can see in more detail here. But then how does that yarn become a fabric?
We have this sneak peak for you and would like to share some behind the scenes in our fabric mill where all the action happens.
Firstly the yarn is collected and thread into a large knitting machine. These yarns are then knitted tightly to form the basic raw fabric, known as “greige”.
The swimwear fabric for Bon+Co is specially treated at our mill to include 3 important features:
1. Chlorine resistance, to help your swimwear last as long as possible, even if you are using it to swim in chlorinated water which is known for its deteriorating effects on swimwear fabric. Whilst it is still important to rinse your swimwear after use in clean fresh water, this special treatment provides some protection so your swimwear lasts a little longer.
2. Anti Pilling treatment, to protect your swimwear from those annoying little balls of fluff that can build up after use, particularly if your rubbing up against rough surfaces such as rocks, concrete, timber and outdoor tiles. It is still important to avoid these surfaces whilst wearing your Bon+Co swimwear, but this treatment will provide some protection so your swimwear lasts as long as possible.
3. UPF50+ treatment, because we take sun safety very importantly this treatment was an absolute must for us! Whether your choosing the full sleeve one piece or a cute bikini, it is important to protect your skin as best as you can, and so fabrics treated with SPF50+ will help alongside the use of a very good sunscreen applied regularly.
The printing method we use for our fabrics is called Sublimation Printing. A digital artwork file is printed onto paper using high quality sublimation inks, known for their excellent colour performance. The paper is then fed into a large heat press alongside the prepared fabric. Intense heat causes the inks to penetrate the fabric.
Once dry, the fabric is then rolled back up, ready to be sent onto the swimwear manufacturer and made into a beautiful swimsuit!
Swimwear made from Recycled Plastic
