Fabrics and Product Care

Our Fabrics

Our swimwear is made up of nylon and elastane and you will find details of the fabric composition on the product page/care label. Your swimsuit will be made up of either one of the below combinations:

ECONYL

Made from 78% ECONYL® regenerated nylon and 22% elastane. ECONYL® yarn is a 100% regenerated nylon fibre from pre and post-consumer waste such as fishing nets and other nylon waste. This sustainable techno-fabric is versatile, hyper-resistant, soft and breathable and has the following features:

• UPF50+ sun protection
• Muscle control
• Shape retention
• Soft
• Ultra flat
• Two-way stretch
• Perfect fit
• Pilling resistant
• Ultrachlorine resistant
• Resistance to sun cream and oil

NYLON/ELASTANE

Made from 82% Nylon and 18% Elastane and has the following features:

• UPF50+ sun protection
• Breathable
• Anti-crease
• Lightweight
• Quick-drying

Caring for Your Swimsuit 

You open the packaging and hold your spanking new swimsuit in your hand. It feels soft and luxurious. You can’t wait to put it on and then it immediately gives you a comforting hug. Not only do you feel good, but you take a glance at the mirror and you look good too. 

Now let’s talk about how you can recreate this moment over and over again with the same swimsuit. How many times this will be possible will depend on how well you can protect your investment. 

1. Understanding your Fabrics – Let’s go back to basics. 

• Nylon is a man-made fabric that is chosen for swimwear for its strength, durability, resistance to mildew, elasticity, low moisture absorption and increased resistance to abrasion as compared to natural fibres. Although, it is known to pick up dye and soil in laundering, is sensitive to strong sunlight, is predisposed to pilling (or more colloquially known as bobbles, fuzzballs or balls of fibre that form on the fabric), and even melts if it’s too hot!
• Elastane is another man-made fabric added to provide strength and elasticity without weight. This elastic is easily damaged by chlorine bleach and heat, may yellow when exposed to light and melts at relatively low heat. With this in mind, the next precautions will allow you to avoid disappointment and/or dissatisfaction and have a swimsuit that you can enjoy for a long time.

2. Avoid too much Chlorine

Our swimwear is treated with chlorine resistance to give your suit better wear through swimming pool exposure. Nevertheless, it is always better to safeguard your suit from the effects of chlorine, which is a component of bleach. It’s especially important to keep this in mind for other swimsuits that you have that don’t have chlorine resistance. Whilst we can hope that the chlorine concentration in the pool we are using is optimal, it is possible that some hotels or gyms use excessive amounts.

3. Steer Clear of Rough Surfaces

Our fabric is very soft and durable but, as with any clothing, rough or jagged edges will scuff and snag. As our swimsuits are full coverage, there is much more opportunity for the suit to come into contact with all kinds of surfaces that you encounter. Therefore, it is especially important to be aware of where you sit, lean, or lay, if you want to keep your suit’s smooth texture. Here are a few tips:

• Pool decks are known to wear away your swimwear as they are purposely rough to prevent slipping. If you must sit on the pool side, use a towel to prevent contact. 
• Sand and dirt can also be abrasive, depending on the type of beach you are visiting, so use a towel and rinse your suit immediately after use. The suit can usually handle you sitting on most beach sand, but it’s always better to be careful. 
• Many beach bags made of natural fibres tend to be very abrasive so take care when carrying them on your shoulders. To avoid pilling, wear a cover-up like a kaftan, to avoid direct contact between the suit and the rough bag.

4. Avoid excessive lotions and oils on the Swimsuit

Exposure to sunscreen, tanning oils and cosmetics can be quite harmful to delicate material and can break down the fabric over time. Rinse any stains immediately, then clean with either vinegar or very mild detergent in a cold water bath for 30 minutes. Aim to apply sun lotions before you wear your suit to allow it to dry first. 

5. Follow the care label for washing your Swimsuit

Follow these steps after each wear: 

• Rinse your swimsuit in cold water or even take it with you into a cold shower! Even the smallest rinse is better than nothing – you don’t want harmful chemicals or even bacteria to embed into the fabric. On this same note, avoid wrapping your suit in a wet towel used to dry you off at the pool, which will contribute to chemical exposure. 
• Wash light colours individually - To ensure that your Lula White swimsuit remains pristine white, we would recommend washing the swim dress alone or only with other white garments. We would also recommend washing dark colours only with other dark colours and keeping your lighter coloured swimwear separate to avoid any colour bleeding into the fabrics.
• Handwash your swimsuit – Gentle cycles can be okay but even those use heat and tumbling, which will wear out the material and cause it to lose the integrity of the elastic. 
• Use mild soap – The fabric is delicate so avoid regular detergent, bleach and even fabric conditioners. Fabric conditioners can even ‘burn’ through swimsuit fabric if over-exposed. 
• Treat stains directly with spot cleaner – Other than spot cleaners, you can use baking soda or vinegar with water before washing. 
• Gently squeeze out the water – We don’t want to ruin the shape so instead of wringing the suit, roll it up to try to remove excess water after washing. 
• Lay the swimsuit out to dry – Find a shaded and well-ventilated space and avoid hanging. Hanging will make water pool at the bottom and stretch out the fibers. This is especially true for our swimsuits that have more fabric (for full coverage) than your typical one-piece suit or bikini. Be careful not to leave the suit exposed to direct sunlight as it will cause some color damage. 

6. Storing your Swimsuit

We can often forget that storage or choices of suit can affect the longevity of our swimsuits. Have a look at these tips: 

• Store your suit at room temperature and do not use a plastic container, in order to avoid mildew damage if the suit is exposed to moisture. 
• Alternate your swimsuits. You should have at least one or two extra swimsuits so that you can give the swimsuit that you used a chance to dry and snap back into place. A 24 hour break is beneficial to the elasticity of your suit. 
• Consider keeping a separate suit for use in hot tubs, maybe an older or your least favourite one! Hot tubs can damage your suit due to the high temperatures or increased concentration of chlorine in public hot tubs.