Selvaggi Swimwear

Rescuing Marine Life with Bathing Suits

Authors

Brisa Marileisy Lavariega Corcuera

Brisa Marileisy Lavariega Corcuera

Mario Soto

Mario Soto

José María Muñoz Eugenio

José María Muñoz Eugenio

School

Instituto Tecnológico Universitario Empresarial

Instituto Tecnológico Universitario Empresarial

Professor

Karla Vicencio

Karla Vicencio

Global Goals

13. Climate Action 14. Life Below Water

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Summary

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) research, “ghost nets” damage many species.

For example, they cause the death of around 66% of marine mammals’ species, 50% of sea birds, and 100% of deaths in sea turtles.

Also, ghost nets cause detrimental impact on coral reefs and mangroves as they represent a latent threat to fishmen and coastal communities who depend on these ecosystems for their own subsistence.

Similarly, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) explains that at least 10% of marine plastic waste is made up of fishing equipment, which means that between 500,000 to 1,000,000 tons of fishing gear enter the oceans every year.

Additionally, lost, abandoned, and tossed fishing gears represent one of the most lethal plastic pollutions to marine life, because they are the ones who have caused a massive reduction of mammals in the seas, such is the case of the vaquita porpoise who have become a specie at risk of extinction.

After realizing that the textile industry is one of the main polluters around the world, the idea of confectioning swimsuits made of recycled materials turned to be suitable not only for creating a clothing brand, but also to promote a self-conscious community that encourages responsible consumption.

Likewise, with our swimsuits we wanted to provide our client a unique product made by Mexicans and help to reduce all kind of sea waste and garbage.

Innovation

SELVAGGI SWIMWEAR was founded in 2017 by Norma García López who has a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design and Fashion Advertising.

For Norma, it is important that her product generates a benefit that goes beyond wearing a simple garment.

Since the beginning Norma focused on looking for the appropriate elements that help her to fulfill that purpose, eventually finding that fishing nets can be useful for confectioning swimsuits without damaging neither marine flora or fauna.

Rescuing Marine Life with Bathing Suits

Norma García López, Founder y CEO

Inspiration

Once we got in touch with Norma García, the founder of SELVAGGI SWIMWEAR- she told us the following:

“Everything started as a project in our latest semesters at college which aimed to create a brand-new company devoted to fashion.

After a brainstorming, the team decided that our company would it be about swimsuits, because we like the sea, and this is a garment commonly used at the beach.

Afterwards, we met a group of Italians and Dutch people who showed us how with nets and plastic materials we could create a new product”.


Overall impact

SELVAGGI SWIMWEAR aims to be a company committed to bring benefits through her innovative products. Also, it seeks to motivate other companies to generate positive changes in the environment by demonstrating that there are both sustainable and profitable alternatives.

Business benefit

In every project there is uncertainty and obstacles like negative comments that want to curb what you are doing. However, you have to be sure about what you are doing from the beginning because that is what is going to keep you motivated and will help you to overcome yourself to have more and better results.

In this sense, in the Selvaggi Swimwaer very beginning, despite the mistakes, the commitment with an innovative product made that many people felt interested in it, and through the media, I had the opportunity to have interviews to advertise my brand, to make it known among people and to increase the sales.

It should be noted that Norma never neglected the internal part of her company, because for her it is also important having an optimal work environment where each part of it was recognized as fundamental and that every worker feels proud about what are they doing.

Social and environmental benefit

Nowadays, most of textile products have become highly polluting waste that affect the ecosystems and generates upcoming problems.

Giving the products more than one use would be crucial to stop pollution, so that is what Selvaggi products tend to do.

Once the client has decided that their swimsuit has reached the maximum use, this garment can be recycled to generate a new product. This makes Selvaggi not only innovative, but also an environmental responsible company that finds different ways to recycle.

Finally, it is clear that making changes require time. Therefore, “in a near future“ Selvaggi wants to plan events for the environment benefit” – Norma stated. This in turn will be possible with the help of the Ocean Soldiers who are those people helping the environment through responsible consumption and good habits.

Interview

Norma García López, Fundador

Photo of interviewee

Business information

Selvaggi Swimwear

Selvaggi Swimwear

Ciudad de México, MX
Year Founded: 2017
Number of Employees: 2 to 10

SELVAGGI SWIMWEAR is a 100% Mexican company committed to the environment since it is a benchmark that fashion and sustainability can work together.

The company it is devoted to the creation of swimsuits -both for women and men- made of ECONYL fiber, which consist of recycled materials such as fishing nets and plastics objects that have ended up in the sea.