July 14, 2025 | VOL 16
content partnership
the SUSTAINABILITY SWIM
words Sibel İpek
Marion Aube´, CSR Project Leader at Vilebrequin, shares insights on sustainability practices and future initiatives.
As one of the leaders in luxury swimwear how do you integrating sustainability into the overall business strategy?
Sustainability has always been a natural process at Vilebrequin, intrinsic to the development of our products, from the very first step of the selection of the fibers to its selling, including its manufacturing. Each time we start to work on a new product, we think about its whole life cycle, even repairability! As of today, 100% of our men swimwear is produced in Europe and Mediterranean region. Since 2018, we have started to incorporate more and more recycled materials into our star product, the men’s swimwear. It took 2 years to have all polyamid fibers recycled making our suppliers engaged into this environmental approach and testing and adjusting our fabrics to keep the same high level of quality. Today 98% of men’s swimwear at Vilebrequin is made from recycled materials.
Are there any further innovations for its sustainability efforts?
In order to increase the sustainability of our range of products, we started to use natural fibers into our swimwear. In 2022, we had a collaboration with Woolmark and could launch the first wool swim shorts. This collection of wool swimwear has been very successful and is still continuing as an essential every season for Vilebrequin. This year, we are launching a swim short in linen. Developed with an Italian partner, this fabric has been treated with fluoride-free water repellent system, which enables it to be very light and practical to wear into the water.
How does Vilebrequin ensure transparency and accountability in its sustainability practices?
Vilebrequin’s website is giving information for each product about its environmental caracteristics, such as its traceability (where it is woven, where it is printed/dyed, where it is manufactured) and its recycled materials. Since Summer 2025 collection, the products sold in stores have a care label with a QR code, enabling the customer to go directly on the product sheet on the website to have an easy access to all information.
Are there any specific targets or milestones that Vilebrequin aims to achieve in terms of sustainability by a certain timeframe?
Our goal is to provide the most transparent information about our products. For example all our suppliers have to sign a chemical commitment letter which ensures the tracaeability of our products. We also have regular controls in our suppliers factories. Next step for Vilebrequin is to implant a traceability system which will enable to track each product and calculate its carbon footprint. The aim is to achieve a vision of a responsible company in 2030 : Shaping the future of vacations through innovative products, an engaged team and eco-responsible practices to achieve profitability and reduce our carbon footprint.
