At every stage of research, design, and production, Junior Varsity creates with the environment and the community at the forefront of our decisions.
FABRICS
It was important for us to first source high-quality and comfortable fabrics that helped clean up waste from our ocean and our earth – while we want our company’s profits to benefit the earth, we also did not want our production to cause more harm.
We are proud to say that every single Junior Varsity surfsuit is made from recycled fabrics that are OEKO-TEX® & UTrust certified, guaranteeing that there are no traces of harmful substances present in our materials. All our suits also feature UPF 50+ properties, which means that they protect your skin from approximately 90% of UVA radiation.
Majority of our suits use the Italian-made Carvico® Vita from ECONYL®, a stretchy and breathable fabric crafted using regenerated nylon from abandoned and discarded fishing nets. These ghost nets make up approximately 10% of ocean waste, and when left untouched can take 5,000 years before they break down, entangling and killing numerous marine life in that time.
ECONYL® is completely recyclable, and are also chlorine & suntan oil resistant! Vita is 78% Recycled ECONYL® Nylon + 22% Xtra Life Lycra.
We also use REPREVE®, a 100% recycled performance fiber made from discarded single-use plastic bottles and post-consumer waste. To date, the American fiber manufacturer Unifi has reused over 30 billion plastic bottles & countless tons of post-consumer nylon waste.
Our other fabric is Reclaim Prime, a Chinese-made garment made from recycled yarn. It is very similar to Vita in both feel and structure. Prime is 78% Recycled Nylon + 22% Spandex.
manufacturing
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The factory that crafts our suits is the leading manufacturer of sustainable, custom-made swimsuits in Bali. Their production chain incorporates fabrics upcycled from salvaged fishing nets & discarded plastic bottles, and they use eco-friendly and OEKO-TEX® certified dyes. We will only ever work with partners who have the same environmentally-conscious mindset and ethical standards as we do. Our goal for future collections is to have all Junior Varsity creations (both the fabrics as well as the manufacturing) be made within our beautiful 7,107 islands. We want to give job opportunities to local seamstresses in Siargao and find ways to recycle local materials into fabrics.
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PACKAGING
We kept ourselves to a strict rule of having absolutely zero plastic in our packaging - all our boxes and shipping materials will easily biodegrade in the bin and add no harmful toxins to the soil.