I saw my first real life manta ray on November 22, 2012, on a night dive with my family in Kona, Hawaii. A friend had recommended the dive and since my family was visiting for the holiday I decided we could make it a fun evening activity, alternative to drinking wine and playing cards at the vacation home. Even with my background in conservation biology, I never expected the impact those manta rays that night would have on my life forever. They were magical. As four of them swam overhead like majestical graceful giants, I fell in love. The following morning I got my first manta ray tattoo and just a few years later I decided to create a swimwear line dedicated to their protection.
MagdakineDesigns launched our eco-elegant swimwear line Summer 2017, which includes the “Isabela” reversible bikini set, featuring a drifting manta ray print on recycled fabric. Our recycled fabric was created by a company in Italy and uses ECONYL® Fiber in a process that reclaims abandoned fishing nets from the sea floor, along with discarded carpets to create the regenerated, ultra-durable, luxury swimwear fabric. For every purchase made in our drifting manta ray print, MagdakineDesigns donates 4% to the Marine Megafauna Foundation in support of their global research and outreach programs. The Marine Megafauna Foundation works in megafauna hotspots throughout the world including, Mexico, Mozambique, Madagascar, Indonesia, and has even recently discovered a new manta ray species off the shores of Florida, USA! Our Isabela bikini bottoms also feature mesh detailing, symbolizing and bringing awareness to the threats net fishing and other unsustainable fishing practices have on all species of manta rays.
Besides striving to produce ecologically sustainable swimwear products unlike any others on the market, MagdakineDesigns is also dedicated to ethically manufactured fashion. All of our products are sewn domestically at a family-owned-and-operated factory in California, USA. After purchase, the bikinis are shipped in poly mailers made from recycled materials, offer two adhesive strips for reusing, and are also recyclable! This is unlike most other poly mailers on the market today.
Because all of our products are made with regenerated fabrics, helping to reduce marine debris, MagdakineDesigns chose the graceful manta ray to represent our designs elegance and marine species protection, however, we also support other environmental non-profits as well. In addition to our manta ray print, our summer 2017 collection also includes an ʻōhiʻa lehua print, a tree species native to the Hawaiian Islands that is currently facing a population decline due to a fast spreading disease. You can learn more about the nonprofits we support at https://magdakinedesigns.com/
Striving to make our mission for eco and ethical fashion a global consumer lifestyle, we are excited to announce we’ve already shipped our manta ray print bikinis all over the world to include customers in Guam, Mauritius Island, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and even to Andrea Marshall (“The Queen of Manta Rays”) herself, to use on her research expeditions throughout Africa and Indonesia. A perfect blend of sustainable luxury and environmental activism, MagdakineDesigns bikinis are made for the eco-elegant goddess.
For more information:
- MAGDAKINEDESIGNS – SHOP our products now!
- ECONYL Fiber – How our recycled fabrics are made
- Marine Megafauna Foundation – Learn more about where your donation goes after purchase
