Two sisters with a passion for saving the planet have launched a range of sustainable swimwear - made from marine plastic waste.
Ocean-inspired one-piece swimsuits and beautiful bikinis are the work of Michelle and Angela Morgan, whose eco-friendly designs are created from plastic bottles, fishing nets and even old bits of carpet.
The Hull duo grew up with a love of exploring the seashore and have since become interested in different areas of conservation.
Michelle, who now divides her time between Yorkshire’s Maritime City and Bali, spent ten years in Australasia and Southeast Asia working in the scuba diving industry,witnessing first-hand the effects that single-use plastics and climate change have on the underwater world.
Meanwhile animal-lover Angela, now based in Lincolnshire, has always been committed to the world of land-based conservation.
She stopped eating meat many years ago and is devoted to living life as plastic-free as possible.
Their experiences have led the pair to launch SeaMorgens swimwear company.
Michelle, who designs and makes up all the garment samples herself, before they go into production in Bali, said: “The plain fabric in our swimwear is made from polyester yarn, that comes from recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, while the fancy print is nylon and comes from other types of waste, including ‘ghost’ fishing nets retrieved from the ocean and even old carpet.
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“I spent so much time on the name and the logo for the company and in the end I came up with SeaMorgens – in British and Welsh mythology, a morgen is a mermaid - and of course it is very close to our surname, Morgan.”
The designs of the bathing suits get around the need for fasteners, to avoid another issue with plastic recycling.
The swimwear is also only made in small batches.
“We believe in ethically made slow fashion”, said Michelle, who is also ensuring the minimum of waste fabric is produced by their collection by using cut-offs to make bralettes, face masks, and scrunchies.
“We think of creative ideas often to ensure these precious resources never go unused. Our collection has nothing to do with current fashion trends, but rather timeless, ocean-inspired pieces,” said Michelle.
“It is not a cheap product, it is made to last.”
Angela, who manages operations, marketing, and customer service at , said: “We have tried to be as zero-waste as possible and everyone seems to love our products, we are getting some really good feedback.
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“We even make sure our packaging is eco-friendly - it was compostable anyway, but now we have gone to paper after listening to our customers.
“What excites me most is launching a business that is going to have a positive impact on the ocean and the environment.”
Michelle initially gained a degree in fashion from Northumbria University, but decided a career in the fashion industry was not for her.
“With a heavy dependence on cheap materials, poor labour standards and practices, and environmentally destructive practices, I knew that the fashion industry lacked the devotion to conservation Angela and I had maintained our whole lives,” she said.
While working in scuba diving, she started making bikinis in her spare time.
“I gave them to friends or used them myself, but never considered starting an actual brand to sell and market them,” she said.
“SeaMorgens is unlike almost all swimwear companies out there, many of which actually produce fabric with new plastics and, in the process, produce lots of marine micro plastics,” said Michelle. “Given the different challenges that countries and communities all over the world face in decreasing dependence on plastic pollution, we don’t believe the answer to our global crisis is to stop using plastics completely.
“We just believe that, with swimwear, it can be avoided, and at SeaMorgens, we can make a truly positive impact.”
Retailing at £26 to £65 for the all-in-ones A percentage of the company’s profits will help directly fund marine conservation programmes around the world.
SeaMorgens’ Manta Ray collection supports the work of the Marine Megafauna Foundation, while the Ocean collection aids Healthy Seas, which is responsible for recovering the ghost fishing nets that go into its swimwear.