After the longest winter I can remember, I’m ready for long days at the beach or pool. Surprisingly and happily, swimwear happens to be a category where American-made options are plentiful.

Fun fact: because swimwear season is so short, when the apparel industry started producing overseas, swimwear manufacturers maintained domestic production to allow time to react to sales trends and keep consistent inventory levels. As a result, the special sewing machines needed to handle typical swim materials are still commonly available in the US, leading to higher than average production capacity for this category. We all benefit!

That said, here are some of my personal favorite US-made swim options for women.

La Causa

La Causa – which means “The Cause” – “makes quality garments with California ease, always under ethical conditions.” The full range is designed, cut, and sewn in Los Angeles.


Cover Swim

Cover Swim’s swimsuits and coverups are made in Los Angeles out of their own specially constructed protec swim jersey fabric, which has UPF 50+ certification and blocks 98% of UV rays.


Kore Swim

Kore (the Greek word for “maiden”) “strives to achieve the best fit with the highest quality Italian materials, while practicing sustainable and ethical standards in design and production processes in Los Angeles.”


Hackwith Design House

Hackwith Design House’s entire collection, including swim, is sewn in a Minnesota studio by a talented team of seamstresses. And to reduce waste, many items are made on demand. Read more about HDH here.


Mara Hoffman

Mara Hoffman focuses on sustainable materials, processes, and production in order to improve and extend each garment’s life. Mara Hoffman swim is made in the USA using Italian fabrics. Read more about Mara Hoffman here.


Deta

And finally, Deta is a new line of modern, minimalist swimsuits made in Brooklyn, using the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator’s zero-waste knitting machines.




Rita Mehta shops for a living and talks a lot. She launched her website, The American Edit, and podcast, Why Do We Have Things? so she’d have a place to talk about some of the things she’s most passionate about: American made design, responsible manufacturing, and conscious consumption. You can follow her on Instagram or Twitter.