Announcing our Zy-lk Collaboration - working together for sustainable fashion!

From our eco-conscious fabric selections to our ethical supply chain and manufacturing, the team here at Styelle Swim has always been committed to making choices that are aligned with our core values of sustainable and ethical fashion.

That’s why we are so proud to announce our collaboration with zy-lk, where we will create a line of amazing silk and cotton dresses upcycled from gorgeous deadstock fabric!

About zy-lk

zy-lk is an amazing fair-trade social enterprise that doesn’t just create made-to-order clothing from gorgeous recycled and organic fabric, but are passionate about providing employment to hearing and speech-impaired women who would otherwise find difficulty obtaining jobs in a safe and ethical working environment.

When we came across their work, we knew we wanted to team up with them somehow. Our core values are aligned in so many ways, it’s almost inevitable that our paths have intertwined now.

A focus on slow fashion

Both Styelle Swim and zy-lk understand how fair and ethical employment opportunities can create positive change in the larger community. And while our manufacturing occurs continents away from each other - ours is in Brazil, theirs is in India - we are united in the way we approach our businesses.

The impact of fast fashion has been documented very well over the past few years. Documentaries like The True Cost have raised awareness about how destructive fast fashion can be towards our environment, with tonnes of perfectly usable clothing ending up in landfills all over the world every single day.

Here at Styelle Swim, we source entirely sustainable fabric, including biodegradable fabrics and recycled fabric made of discarded fishing nets. Meanwhile, at zy-lk, they painstakingly extract silk threads, strand by strand, from sarees that are landfill-bound.

You could say we see eye to eye when it comes to slow fashion!

While creating apparel ethically and sustainably is hard work, we truly believe that slow fashion is the future of fashion. It’s definitely been encouraging to find another brand that feels as strongly about it as we do.

Putting people first

“From large scale to small scale, every year an increasing number of fashion businesses integrate international supply chains into their business model- involving more people across continents,” says Zaina Niyaz, Co-Founder of zy-lk. “These people, hands behind the garment labour, are subjected to inexcusable unethical treatments on the daily. They perpetually live in a crisis state with no access to any alternative as the garment factory employment is their only source of livelihood.”

Long working hours, no days off, health hazards, sexual harrassment, and class and gender discrimination are among the many challenges that these workers face. So many of these employees are denied their basic right of a safe workplace and a liveable wage.

We saw this firsthand when we began researching suppliers for Styelle Swim, and in fact spent a very long time trying to find a manufacturer that is ethical and fair trade that can produce our pieces with high quality! We’re fortunate to have found a family-owned factory that is ethical, with amazingly talented artisans creating incredible pieces for our collections.

Both zy-lk and Styelle Swim recognise the importance of our work in providing a better way of work - and life - to those who would otherwise be trapped in those situations.

In our discussions, we often felt frustrated and disappointed with how some fashion businesses have blatantly ignored these issues. In fact, a large number of them are contributing to the problem in the first place.

We know we have a long road ahead of us, but it’s worth it to help pave the way for future fashion businesses to do better and raise the standard of what’s acceptable in this industry.

Never compromise on style

While our ethics will always be the main drive in our business model, we are still laser focused on creating pieces that are on-trend, fashionable, and will remain stylish for decades to come. At both Styelle Swim and zy-lk, you can expect to find covetable pieces that look good while doing good!

We’re looking forward to finally releasing our small run of gorgeous dresses with zy-lk. Their designs feature floaty, feminine cuts with dreamy details like ruffles, ribbons, and statement sleeves that are bound to turn heads.

We want these dresses to be more than just cover-ups for the beach (although they are perfect for that, of course). We know these dresses will take you from beach, to brunch, to a romantic dinner date. Each piece is sure to be a favourite in your wardrobe!

More importantly, quality tailoring will mean that you can trust that these dresses will look beautiful for years to come, and the vibrant colours are sure to add to your glow every time you slip on one of these dresses.

This collection is the perfect addition to our gorgeously crafted sustainable swimwear, and we cannot wait to reveal it soon!

A fashion revolution

“Our collective conscious awakening will lead to an increase in the quality of clothes made; along with improvement in quality of lives making it.” - Zaina, zy-lk.

zy-lk and Styelle Swim know that consumers want to feel good about their purchases, and have a desire to support companies that have values that align with theirs. We’re here to fill that gap in the market, to provide you with stylish, ethical, sustainable apparel that looks good, and does good.

We know that this collaboration is just the start. With more and more brands putting sustainability and ethical production at the forefront of their business, a fashion revolution is brewing!

Learn more about zy-lk by heading to their website and following them on Instagram. While you wait for our collaboration collection to launch, why not shop for some beautiful swimwear? You can find our collections by heading to our online shop or visiting one of our stockists.