NA-KD puts recycled materials on the board for their 2023 swimwear collections
In the depths of winter darkness, many start looking forward to the summer heat and beach vacations. While doing so, trying to find the perfect bikini is one of the first step in trying to prepare for take-off. Swedish fashion house NA-KD has decided to become the green option on the market with a large range of zero waste swimwear.
In 2023, many customers look for earth-friendly swimwear options, such as a bikini from recycled materials. That’s where NA-KD has stepped up to the plate. Amongst other policies, the brand has set a goal to have 100% of their products made more sustainable, including using more organic materials, natural dyes, and recycled materials. By doing so, they are aiming to reduce their absolute emissions by 50% from 2020-2030, setting a clear precedent for the fashion industry.
NA-KD has also made a point to bring the climate action to the processes behind their fashion. When a customer orders clothes from the brand, they are ensured that all packaging is renewable and recyclable. For example, NA-KD uses FSC certified paper for their cardboard boxes, jewellery is wrapped in grass-based paper, and the plastic bags are made from 100% recycled plastic mixed with Biodegradable Organic Polymer (BDP), giving it a biodegradable feature and eliminating microplastics.
7 bikini trends for 2023
NA-KD has decided that quality does not cancel quantity. Instead, they have opted for a wide assortment of swimwear that are all focused on and in line with their climate action program. Amongst their produce range, there are several swimwear trends to be found. Below, we will list the 7 most prominent trends in the NA-KD collection for 2023:
String and Straps
A clear trend shows that less material, more straps is going to be big on the market this year. The straps have various fashionable functions, and go over the shoulder, or down and across the bodice, or are simply tied in big bows on the side. These longer straps can also offer some flexibility in terms of how you want to wear you bikini and can therefore extend the product’s longevity.
Barbie prints
Following along the Y2K fashion era renewal, we also see a lot of early 2000s prints on this year’s swimwear. Bright florals, neon waves, and the like can be found and adds a splash of colour to sleek designs.
Big cat patterns
Cheetah fashion is coming around again. The classic jaguar spotted prints are making a sexy comeback to the beach and embracing feline sensuality. Wear this to feel like the hottest person in the waves.
Retro crochet
A big trend of 2022 was the comeback of retro-hobbies, such as knitting, baking, and crocheting. The trend has inspired the fashion industry as well, through which we see an influx in crocheted swimwear for the summer season.
Sleek black
Not a year passes by without the sensually sleek black bikini fashion making an appearance. The classic toned down bikini is fashionable at any beach, party, or pool. It is the perfect choice for an elegant summer look.
Bright blocking
Last but not least, bright colours are a go for 2023. Strong colours can nicely accentuate a tan and are perfect for unique mix & match statement pieces or outfits. These pieces also provide a fun and casual look when combined with sorts and a loose shirt.
New Alexandra Kay Body Oils
As part The Chic Geek "look after yourself in 22" collection, it was great to see the release of these greatly timed products - Alexandra Kay, Time to Ease Muscle Relax and Time to Soothe Scent Free Body Oils. The importance of looking after yourself as our lives start up again and get busier is now more important than ever. These carefully blended body oils are created with plant extracts including Hemp, Rosehip and a new breakthrough phytoactive CB2-Skin TM Biofunctional to offer skin calming and relaxing benefits. As well as soothing tired and aching muscles, these two new organic massage oils boost innovative botanicals that deliver a comforting, nutrient rich boost to delicate and sensitive skin.
The Time to Ease Muscle Relax is made with a high concentration of luxurious long oils that linger on the skin long enough to create effective slip for body massage and features a synergized complex blend of highly active plant actives – each chosen for their relaxing properties.
The Time to Soothe Scent Free Body Oil is a natural, unscented body and massage oil which makes it easy to support skin comfort and the skin barrier and gently teases tension from the body without irritating sensitive skin.
Both body oils are vegan, cruelty free and suitable for all skin types.
Available from www.greenpeople.co.uk
Will we wear mushrooms? Stella McCartney introduces Mylo range
Reversing fashion’s environmental impact to the world is a big ask but drawing a line in the sand is what Stella McCartney has done. It is no secret that McCartney has never used animal hides or fur in any of her collections and is a lifelong vegan.
“I believe the Stella community should never have to compromise luxury desirability for sustainability, and Mylo™️ allows us to make that a reality. These rare, exclusive pieces embody our shared commitment with Bolt Threads to innovate a kinder fashion industry – one that sees the birth of beautiful, luxurious materials as opposed to the deaths of our fellow creatures and planet,” says Stella McCartney.
So, what is it all about? The garments created with Mylo™️ by Bolt Threads – a vegan, sustainable, animal-free leather alternative made from mycelium, the infinitely renewable underground root system of fungi. Mylo takes about two weeks to grow and is far less of an impact than the two years it takes to raise a cow.
Modelled by Paris Jackson the pieces were handcrafted from panels of the mycelium-based material laid on recycled nylon scuba at the brand’s atelier in London. The soft, substantial material is certified as bio-based, meaning it’s made predominantly from renewable ingredients found in nature.
A question for another time will be about our future wardrobes and the use by date all this sustainable material produced clothing will have. I for one do not want my designer dress disintegrating after wearing it to one party too many.
OVERSIZED Chic - Sunglasses
Holiday season is approaching fast and although it looks like a staycation for many of us, it does not mean we have to sacrifice the Riviera style. Oversized sunglasses make a statement to the world you are here to lounge, whilst creating a state of aloofness.
First Lady Jackie Kennedy started the trend in the 1960s and since then, many celebrities and influencers who allegedly want to travel incognito have embraced the oversized trend.
What counts as an oversized pair of sunglasses?
Simple, all they must be is larger than traditional sunglasses, if you are worried this will overwhelm your face, remember they come in different sizes and frame thickness. This means there is plenty of choice out there as you can pick the shape, thickness and dimensions that will work best for you.
What next?
Shop around, look at what most will suit your face and if you are unsure check out our oversize sunglasses guide to help you chose what will look good. For now here are a few of the most coveted OVERSIZE sunglasses of the forthcoming season.
Optimef Romanian Cool - The Handbag
Inspired by architecture and geometric shapes each handbag is a unique concept, a design piece in its own. Optimef was originally launched in 1979 as the very first Romanian watch, since then they have set about to rebuild the Optimef brand as a reminder that cool things were created in Romania. The founders Bogdan Costea and Andrei Morariu have created a fusion between past and present. "Each design will always have a nostalgic element along with a twist. The quality and beauty of a design object are closely connected, that’s why we pay careful attention to technical details, the materials and the technology that we use when creating our products. Beyond originality, refinement and a timeless aspect, we want Optimef pieces to inspire not only aesthetically, but also through the story they tell."
With this collection they continue to explore the idea of quiet luxury by transforming beautiful stories into design objects. Hand-crafted in Romania by skilled artisans using finest quality leather and custom made brass accessories made in Italy. By keeping production in-house, they are involved in every step of the manufacturing process. Using innovative leather crafting techniques they seek to create timeless design pieces.
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Halpern Autumn-Winter 2021 collection
With the end of lockdown 2.0 rapidly approaching fashion has awoken and a fantastic example of the new beginning is Halpern and their Autumn-Winter 2021 collection.
Emergence is the mantra of our moment in time. A prospect loaded with hope and optimism for a freer way of life, it doesn’t simply characterise an action but a new mindset. For Autumn-Winter 2021, Halpern conveys through form and fabric the transitional phase in which we find ourselves. Created in a time of restraint, for a time of unrestraint, the collection observes the joie de vivre of glamour through the reflective binoculars of our collective experience.
Silhouettes defy domestic dress codes and embrace a real feeling of ‘dressing’ once again: catsuits, jumpsuits and bathing suits invite an alluring sense of movement, while skirt suits, party dresses, sarongs and evening gowns – some styled from separates – are de-constraining in construction. Homey ideas of comfort are replaced with a real-life sense of functionality interpreted in eveningwear. Imbued with ease, it emerges with determined ostentation, adorned in multi-colour sequins, leopard print, graphic intarsia patterns, and polka dots.
The memory of discotheques and dance parties conjures sensual and light garments that provide the feeling – if not yet the possibility – of glamorous social pursuits. The emotion is exemplified in a black fil coupé-on-chiffon jumpsuit with gold lamé polka dots and a deep V filtrage cut-out, in a scanty skirt suit with an all-over black and white intarsia sequin embroidery, or – for full emergence – in a gown structured from a black diamanté brazier and a draped scarlet satin-silk train skirt.
Halpern’s ongoing collaboration with Christian Louboutin features suede knee-high frill boots in black, fuchsia and scarlet, and stiletto sandals in a corresponding palette. Championing London based creatives, Halpern has also collaborated with local Peckham-based SAGE Flowers to produce the creative floral set for AW21.
Photograph credits: Haydon Perrior Thomas De Cruz Media