Our Story

The Start of Offset Swim


Offset Swim is a one woman run small business in Sarnia Ontario.  It started when I began the project of learning to sew my own suits in the spring of 2022.  It was then that I came across the consequences of fast fashion.

This lead me to finding ECONYL, a regenerated fabric focused on turning discarded waste into fashion.  If you know me, you know I am obsessed with bikinis and the beach.  Each summer I used to turn to fast fashion companies to buy low quality suits in higher numbers.  This always led to them wearing out fast due to poor quality fabric or not being able to wear them at all due to untrue sizing.  After wearing my handmade suits all summer and selling a handful to people who requested, I started to see the interest and value of a slow fashion swimwear brand.  It was then I officially started Offset Swim.

 

The Process 

Offset Swim focuses on offering transparent sustainable swimwear you don’t just feel confident in, but also feel confident about.  Offset Swim is proud of the materials we use from start to finish and we want you to know exactly where your swimsuit comes from. 

The process first starts with collecting discarded fishing nets from our oceans and seas called “ghost nets”.  These trap and kill thousands of marine life every year if left.  These fishing nets are then broken down, along with other industrial waste, and spun into yarn.   By choosing ECONYL fabric we are able to reduce the global warming impact of nylon production by 90%.  In addition, for every 10,000 tons of ECONYL fabric produced, 70,000 barrels of crude oil are saved and 65,100 tones of CO2 emissions are avoided.
  The yarn is then spun into a high quality swimwear fabric called ECONYL that is sent to a supplier in Europe.  From there, Offset Swim orders fabric by the yard so there is no over purchasing of materials.
 
Once in Canada, it is a one women ran business.  Each piece is hand cut, pinned, sewed and constructed in Sarnia Ontario.  Each order is handmade-to-order reducing waste and over production.  Every product and material used has been carefully selected, down to compostable plastic free hygiene stickers, recycled thread, and Ontario purchased elastic.  

Throughout the construction phase there is unavoidable fabric scraps.  Instead of tossing these, Offset Swim collects all scraps to incorporate into scrunchies or mini projects.  

Offset Swim is focused on offering a sustainable, transparent, and ethical brand first and foremost that you can feel good about.