Arcane Swim
Kirsten Mayo, founder of Arcane Swim
Today we're spotlighting Kirsten Mayo (nickname, Lulie), the talented entrepreneur behind the brand which is selling an inclusive range of swimwear made with the world's first biodegradable and PETA approved polyamide fabric material. Committed to making fashion circular, Lulie also sells vintage and second-hand clothes on her website and even uses fabric scraps from her swimwear range to make dog beds which are then donated to shelters in need.
Embracing slow fashion, Lulie creates high quality products that are intended to last. Eager to support garment workers, she/they emphasise that at Arcane Swim, they take their time to produce garments of the best quality, providing garment factories with sufficient time to complete orders and to ensure that people are treated with dignity and respect.
Shipped carbon neutral, tagless and in compostable packaging, Arcane Swim is a company that truly prioritises sustainability. They'll even plant a tree for every item purchased!
We caught up with Lulie to talk about the inspiration behind Arcane Swim, its commitment to making fashion circular and the importance of inclusivity and body positivity in fashion.
Tell us about yourself and how you started your journey with Arcane Swim as a young entrepreneur!
Sure, starting Arcane definitely took a lot of research and experimenting. It all started when I worked at a locally owned surf shop in Jacksonville Beach! Part of my job was to process incoming shipments, which meant unpacking, tagging, and hanging hundreds of swimsuits each day. I would fall in love with so many different fabrics, textures and designs, then after my shift I’d head to the fitting room to take advantage of my employee discount! ~ nothing fit ~ and if it did fit it wasn’t comfortable and I didn’t feel confident. It eventually became really upsetting and I started to think of myself poorly. Instead of sitting in those bad feelings I decided to do something about it by Frankenstein-ing together suits. I would take note of each quality I liked from a certain brand or set and thought, why can’t this be all in one? The initial idea for Arcane came in 2016. I bought all of the licenses and domain name but just sat on the idea for a couple years thinking I wouldn’t truly make anything of it. By 2019 I became more passionate in creating Arcane. We had meetings every Tuesday to make sure things were moving and launched in February of 2019!
Can you talk about the inspiration behind Arcane Swim and the ethical values behind the brand?
We actually made Instagram polls before we even designed anything and asked everyone who followed us what they wanted in a suit. We took those answers and created what is now the Original Arcane Set! Afterwards, we had our design down as far as the structure of the suit we tested HUNDREDS of fabric swatches until we came across AmniSoul Eco. I fell in love with it but questioned why there was a need to create a biodegradable fabric? At that point we had envisioned Arcane as a company that was going to be all about women, building better body image, and self confidence for all body types. But then I discovered that the fashion industry was the second most polluting industry in the world at the time. Not wanting to contribute to that pollution, I kept researching and studying up as best I could, this created a snowball effect with each new fact opening up a whole other door for discussion. I found out about the mistreatment of underpaid garment workers, the connections between pharmaceutical companies and the extremely high rate of birth defects and farmer suicides, and so much more. It was then we decided that Arcane would be all of the good things the world needs. Rooted in sustainability, inclusiveness, and empowerment. An intersectional movement!
Arcane Swim is committed to making fashion circular, can you tell us more about how you’re doing this?
Right! Arcane is absolutely committed to making fashion circular, not only for Arcane but we hope to inspire other businesses to do so as well. So, essentially circular fashion means there is no “end of life” for a garment. We use biodegradable fabrics to make our suits, this way even if you dispose of your suit and it ends up in landfill, we can be sure we have closed the loop on that garment. Our fabric is the first biodegradable polyamide in the world and we ship in at home compostable packaging. Other items you may receive in your package can be repurposed such as the metal ring “tag” for hanging your suit on the towel rack to dry. Instead of branded “bikini bags” we see lots of companies using as part of packaging, we have adopted the practice of packaging sets in mesh reusable grocery shopping bags made from recycled cotton! One thing that we are looking to change is the hygienic sticker placed in the bottoms. Better Packaging Co, where we get our supply from, is finally rolling out compostable hygienic stickers available to North America, so we will be expecting to make that change soon! After that, literally everything can be either composted or recycled!
Arcane Swim places a strong emphasis on body positivity, creating an inclusive range of swimsuits. Tell us more about inclusivity at Arcane and why this was important to you?
Thank you! Inclusivity has always been important to Arcane. It’s really difficult growing up in such a fast fashion forward time. All I saw growing up were models of the same build. When thinking about how I wanted Arcane to be, I knew I definitely wanted to have representation for everyone. In the beginning, Arcane was only myself and my partner, though they aren’t with Arcane anymore. They were an XXS and I was around a L/XL, but neither of us had any boobs! Just different body types which is so normal but hardly represented in standardised sizing or fashion marketing. One of the Instagram polls we did was specifically asking what women with bigger boobs wanted in their swim tops. I never wanted someone to get on our website, see a photo, and think… “She is beautiful, I wish I looked like that”. The reaction we look for is a lot more wholesome and rooted in self love. We’re looking for that “She is so beautiful and that’s what I look like too!”. That is what we will continue to consider when making new designs, marketing, and all of the other biz things!
The fabric for your products is manufactured by garment workers represented by IndustriALL Global Union. Can you talk about the importance of workers’ rights and working conditions in the garment industry and how Arcane Swim supports workers?
Thank you for asking! The mistreatment of thousands of garment workers is overlooked every day. I believe in the fast fashion state we are in now a lot of us fail to recognise that human hands have touched and created everything you’re wearing today and every other day. The Fashion Revolution is huge to us. We believe that everyone needs to open their eyes to the truth behind the fast fashion industry and how this is in intersectional movement. Did you know that around 80% of all garment workers are women? More often than not these women are faced with verbal and physical abuse in the work place. The majority of these women get paid monthly salaries of between $10 or $2 A DAY, in harsh conditions surrounded by chemicals without proper ventilation. In 2013, an 8-story building, Rana Plaza, collapsed. This resulted in the death of 1,134 Dhaka garment factory workers and about 2,500 people with critical injuries. This all happened after management and factory owners refused to acknowledge complaints of the building cracks, and workers who were underpaid and overworked had no other option but to continue going in for their shifts. Their complaints were ignored at the pressure of huge fast fashion corporations with unrealistic quotas and deadlines. It is imperative that we set a new standard. I know that we can show other companies that the more sustainable, ethical business model works. IndustriALL fights for another model of globalisation and a new economic and social model that puts people first, based on democracy and social justice. We have been able to develop a great relationship with our manufacturing team at full transparency. We talk frequently and when placing orders we review things together so everything is mutually beneficial, it’s not so transactional but more that we are a team together.
Arcane Swim has also partnered with a number of organisations and projects which are having a positive environmental impact! Tell us more about your partnership with One Tree Planted and Arcane Swim's support for the Cambodian Water Purification Project?
At Arcane, we believe in collaboration over competition! Our partnership with One Tree Planted has been great, we are looking to reach a major milestone with their team in trees planted within the coming months. For each item purchased, One Tree Planted will plant a tree at one of their project sites around the world. You can even leave a note in your order about which area around the world you’d like the trees from your order to be planted. Over 90% of West Africa’s rainforests have been lost so we will generally send trees to the project site in Ghana which has the world's highest deforestation rate of primary forests.
The Cambodian Water Purification Project is new to Arcane as of 2021. We teamed up with EcoCart as a way to offset our carbon emissions. Each Arcane order is processed through EcoCart and we pay the funds per order. In Khum Longvek, Cambodian people have to boil their water in order to drink, most often from indoor wood fires. This project allows ceramic water purifiers to be made locally which aids in creating new jobs, lowers the need to collect wood which helps protect already vulnerable Cambodian forests, and reduces 90,000 US tons of carbon emissions each year!
What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs who are thinking about starting their own ethical and socially responsible business?
When tackling ethical and social responsibilities, I think being open and honest is the best route. We aren’t huge corporations but rather the majority are solo entrepreneurs. Share your story, your inspirations, share the ins and outs of your brand. Consumers want to connect with you AND your business. It may sound ridiculous as a business model but for Arcane, our goal is not only to make a sale. Our goal is to educate consumers about these issues, the change we want to make, and the change they are so capable of making. We know that once they feel how we do, we are sure to have their support. Aside from research, research, research.. I would say my greatest advice would be to go for it. I waited three years before doing anything because I was nervous and scared but Arcane has since built such a beautiful community and we are doing amazing things to help change the fashion industry. Brianna Kilcullen, founder of a like minded, sustainable hemp towel brand, always tells me “because if not you, who?”. We each have the power to make a difference, don’t let anyone make you feel small, you have to know you are capable of making a change.
What's next for you and Arcane Swim?
We have got lots of amazing things lined up for Arcane!
We are working with a team of great guys on a men’s line. I designed an androgynous collection we hope to put into motion soon. We are also working on the Arcane Art Initiative which creates scrapbooks out of textile waste to be given to local schools and art programs. You can also find us working with Anact Global’s “Act Up: Drive In Series” creating a safe space for people in our community to come and learn about social issues and how to be part of the solution. Lots and lots of growth!
