What sizes do the father and son swim shorts come in?

Men's sizes run 28 through 43. Boys' sizes are age-based, from 1-2 years through 11-12 years. Every print available in men's is also available in matching boys' sizes for father-son coordination.

Are the embroidered shorts more durable than the printed shorts?

Both tiers use the same recycled plastic four-way stretch fabric, with the same UPF50 protection, chlorine resistance, and reinforced construction. The embroidered tier sits at a premium because of the stitching detail, which adds texture and visual depth that prints cannot replicate. Both tiers are built to last several seasons.

Will the prints fade in the sun, pool, or ocean?

The fabric is engineered for repeated UV, chlorine, and salt exposure without fading. Most customers report three to four seasons of regular wear before retirement. The colours hold across the full life of the short.

Can I extend the matching set beyond father and son?

Yes. Every father-son print is available in women's bikinis and one pieces, girls' rash guards and swimsuits, and baby sizes. The family wardrobe coordinates without anything ever feeling forced or shopped as a set.

How does the 1kg ocean plastic commitment work?

Sandbar partners with Seven Clean Seas, an independent ocean cleanup organisation. For every piece sold, one kilogram of ocean-bound plastic is removed and verified by Seven Clean Seas' collection partners. The commitment is tracked at item level through the REPREVE FibrePrint system, so the connection between your purchase and the plastic removed is fully traceable.

Where does Sandbar ship from?

Sandbar ships internationally. US customers ship from a New York fulfilment partner with standard 3-5 day delivery. UK and EU orders ship from our Singapore warehouse with 5-7 day delivery. Free shipping over USD 250 globally.

Sustainable Swimwear, Built for the Whole Family

Premium swimwear made from recycled plastic bottles. UPF50 protection. Designed in New York, worn from the Hamptons to the Maldives.

Family Matching Bird of Paradise, lifestyle shot. Family matching swimwear.

What sustainable swimwear actually means

What makes swimwear sustainable

Most swimwear sold today is made from virgin polyester or nylon, both petroleum-derived plastics that take centuries to break down. Sustainable swimwear changes the inputs. The fabric is spun from recycled materials, usually post-consumer plastic bottles or reclaimed ocean waste, then engineered to last longer than fast fashion alternatives.

At Sandbar, every piece of swimwear is made from recycled plastic bottles. Each item also funds the removal of one kilogram of ocean plastic through verified partner programmes. The two work together: less new plastic produced, more existing plastic removed.

Sustainability is not a marketing claim layered on top of a normal product. It runs through the fabric, the construction, the supply chain, and the ongoing commitment we make with every order.

How Sandbar's swimwear is made

From plastic bottle to swim short

Each Sandbar swim piece begins as collected plastic. Bottles are sorted, cleaned, shredded into flakes, and melted into pellets. Those pellets are spun into a high-performance yarn that meets the same durability and stretch standards as virgin polyester.

That yarn becomes our swim fabric: soft, four-way stretch, chlorine-resistant, and rated UPF50 for sun protection. We then construct each piece with reinforced stitching and quality linings designed to outlast a single season.

The result is swimwear that looks and feels premium because it is. Recycled does not mean compromised. It means the same quality, sourced more responsibly.

Ocean plastic removal commitment

Every item funds 1kg of ocean plastic removed

Recycled fabric reduces the demand for new plastic. But there is already plastic in the ocean that needs to come out. For every Sandbar item sold, we fund the removal of one kilogram of ocean-bound plastic through verified collection partners.

That commitment is written into our cost structure, not added as an optional checkout donation. It applies to every order, every product, every market we ship to.

To date, Sandbar has funded the removal of 54,215kg of ocean plastic. The number updates with every order placed. We have also recycled over 150,000 plastic bottles and turned them into swimear.

Ethical production

Ethically made, fairly paid

Sustainable materials only matter if the people making the product are treated well. Sandbar swimwear is produced in audited factories that meet international standards on fair pay, safe working conditions, and reasonable hours.

We work with a small number of long-term manufacturing partners rather than spreading production across dozens of suppliers. That makes oversight tighter, quality more consistent, and accountability clearer.

Lower volume, longer runs, better made. The opposite of how fast fashion swimwear is produced, and the reason a Sandbar piece is built to last several seasons rather than one.

Built to last

The most sustainable swimwear is the swimwear you keep

The single biggest sustainability lever in fashion is product longevity. A piece worn for five summers has a fraction of the environmental footprint of one replaced every season.

Sandbar is built for that. UPF50 fabric that holds its colour through repeated sun and salt exposure. Reinforced seams. Quality linings. Print and embroidery that don't fade or peel. The result is swimwear that stays in rotation for years, often passed down between siblings or kept for second and third children.

That is the most underrated part of sustainable design. It lasts.

Family matching

Sustainable swimwear, designed for the whole family

Sandbar designs men's, women's, kids', and baby swimwear in coordinated prints so families can match across generations without it feeling forced. Father and son in matching embroidered shorts. Mother and daughter in coordinating one-pieces. Sibling sets in the same print, different cuts.

All of it made from the same recycled fabric, to the same UPF50 standard, with the same ocean plastic commitment. Sustainability shouldn't end at the kids' rail. With Sandbar, it doesn't.

FAQ

Sustainable swimwear, answered

Q1: What is sustainable swimwear?

Sustainable swimwear is made from recycled or reclaimed materials rather than virgin petroleum-based plastics. The most common recycled inputs are post-consumer plastic bottles and reclaimed ocean nylon. To be genuinely sustainable, the brand should also produce ethically, design for longevity, and ideally contribute to broader environmental impact reduction.

Q2: What is Sandbar swimwear made from?

Every piece of Sandbar swimwear is made from recycled plastic bottles, spun into a four-way stretch, UPF50-rated fabric. The fabric is chlorine-resistant, soft against skin, and engineered to last multiple seasons of wear.

Q3: Does recycled plastic swimwear feel different to wear?

No. Modern recycled polyester yarns perform identically to virgin polyester in terms of stretch, softness, and durability. Most wearers can't tell the difference by feel. The difference is in how the fabric was sourced and what happens to plastic that would otherwise have ended up in landfill or the ocean.

Q4: How does Sandbar's ocean plastic commitment work?

For every Sandbar item sold, we fund the removal of one kilogram of ocean plastic through verified collection partners. This is built into our cost structure, not added as an optional donation at checkout. It applies to every order across every market.

Q5: Is sustainable swimwear more expensive?

Sustainably made, ethically produced swimwear typically costs more upfront than fast-fashion alternatives. The trade-off is that quality construction lasts longer, often three to five seasons or more, which makes the cost-per-wear lower. Premium sustainable swimwear is also priced to support fair worker pay and verified environmental commitments.

Q6: Where is Sandbar swimwear made?

Sandbar designs in New York and Singapore and produces in audited manufacturing partner facilities that meet international fair labour and environmental standards. We work with a small number of long-term partners rather than spreading production widely, which gives us tighter quality control and clearer accountability.

Explore Sandbar

Browse the full Sandbar collection, designed for sun, salt, and family. Or join our newsletter for early access to new prints and seasonal drops.

Sustainable Swimwear