Meet The Maker: Cinnamon Swan

This year, we've been proud to introduce Cinnamon Swan to our customers here at Hot Body. This small New Zealand brand has taken sustainable swimwear to new heights and has fast become a customer favourite here at Hot Body. In this edition of Meet The Maker, we sit down with one of the creators behind the brand to discuss how it came to be, what's to come from the brand and how exactly does a plastic bottle get made into swimwear? 

Our passion for design, for sustainability, and for chasing our dreams, led us to create our very first sustainable swimwear designs from the ground-up with nothing but a dream in 2019. We soon found that others also loved our designs and and our strong kiwi and sustainable ethos, so we decided to share this with the world -  and create a brand that is proudly Kiwi, for all New Zealanders, that spoke to the world of design and fashion in a new way.

Cinnamon Swan is the story of an evolution of design and inspiration, cumulating into the official launch of Cinnamon Swan the brand in late 2020.

What inspired the designs in the collection?

Our S/S2021 collection is inspired by the world we see around us. Taking influence from iconic women and events from history, and merging it with Kiwiana. The collection is a unique blend of sophistication, effortless style, and elegance. Design details including delicate straps, rose-gold fasteners and minimalistic design speaks to the sophisticated woman who appreciates fine design, sustainability and chasing her own dreams.

Minimalist wardrobes are a central theme to our curated 2021/22 collections, where our essentials are designed to be timeless, warn different ways, mixed and matched, and provide infinite possibilities to the wearer.

Why was it important to you to create a sustainable swimwear range?

Cinnamon Swan is very much reflection of the people behind the brand, and as the co-founder, one of my core values is sustainability and looking after our planet.  Being a part of the move towards slow fashion - with quality pieces that are designed to be worn across seasons, is a reflection of not only our values, but also of our customers values and shopping habits - where slow, ethical fashion and a re-thinked relationship with clothes is becoming more and more important.

How does a plastic bottle become swimwear?

Firstly, a plastic bottle gets collected from somewhere such as the ocean or a beach, and gets shedded into millions of small pieces. Now it is time for the plastic to be transformed into something that it can be reused for. The small pieces of plastic are heated and forced through an extruder to form long strands of fibre which are then broken up and baled. The fibres are now spun into yarn, and ready to be woven into fabric, completing the cycle from bottle to fabric.

What’s been the best part of creating the brand?

Creating something from New Zealand that has the ability to positively influence people around the world.  For us design and fashion is all about story telling, and being fortunate enough to build a brand that is a reflection of our values and vision, and can inspire others to dream their own dreams, is something that is incredibly rewarding to us.

In what ways do you hope to expand and grow the brand? What can we look forward to?

Cinnamon Swan is an ever evolving brand, and we are excited to continue to push the limits of our creative in 2021, to create designs and pieces that we know our customers will love. Amongst amazing new swimwear collections, 2021 will see the release of our much anticipated beachwear and fine jewellery collections, collaborating with some amazing designers and personalities across New Zealand.

You can shop our full range of Cinnamon Swan here or pop into our Newmarket shop to try it for yourself!