Sustainable swimwear brand making a worldwide splash

A DECISION to quit her job and university degree to pursue a dream of a custom swimwear label has paid off for Geleong entrepreneur Ellie Wynhoven, who is among the finalists for the 2023 Geelong Business Excellence Awards.

Ms Wynhoven’s business is on the shortlist for this year’s showcase from the Geelong Chamber of Commerce, which is presented by LBW Wealth + Advisors.

Her label, Swim by Elly, creates swimwear that from an Italian ECONYL regenerated yarn made from discarded fishing nets and waste nylon such as old carpet.

Each order is custom-made in Geelong with Ms Wynhoven’s sewing machine, based on the measurements of each customer.

Ms Wynhoven was working in retail and studying a criminology degree in 2020 when COVID-19 struck – without a shred of business experience.

What started as a plan to make costumes for herself and a small group of friends had taken off by the end of that year, when she resigned from her job and parked her studies to pursue the business full-time.

Swim by Elly has since evolved into an international operation that sees the business make 40-50 orders each week, with a backlog of about 200 more.

The label sells to markets including the United States, Europe and Asia, with the brand earning widespread appeal especially via TikTok.

Ms Wynhoven said her decision to start her own label was two-fold, starting with her personal experience as a customer that couldn’t find the right products.

“The first reason was that I personally was struggling to navigate the swimwear shopping world.

“It’s always hard to find somewhere that fits well in an inclusive size range and that’s comfortable.

“Anything that was on the market cost an arm and a leg and was made in sweatshops overseas by workers who are under pretty poor conditions.”

Ms Wynhoven said the idea for her business also coincided with her gaining more awareness of sustainability and labour force issues surrounding the fashion industry.

“I was learning a lot about the detrimental impact of fast fashion on just trying to navigate shopping or consciously and ethically.

“Swim by Elly was born out of a need for the swimwear industry to do better, and I had the skills, so went from there.”

GBEA category winners will be announced at a finals event at GMHBA Stadium on October 19.

For more information and to book tickets, head to gbea.com.au