WHY WE MAKE OUR SWIMWEAR IN LONDON

Our performance swimwear is made in London; East London to be precise.  It’s where we live, where we swim, where we eat, drink and have a larf.  Obviously it’s not without its flaws (extortionate property prices anyone??) but on its day, Old Londinium is the best city in the world.

We are proud to be an East London brand and we are proud to make our swimwear here but why is it important to us and why should you care?  

Firstly, what do we mean by ‘Made’ in London?  The Rules of Origin state that for a product to be labelled as ‘Made in somewhere’ the somewhere has to be the place where the last substantial transformation took place.  Take a t-shirt made in China for example, that is then printed with a logo in the UK - this will not classify as ‘Made in UK’ as it came into the country as a t-shirt and is being sold as such.  Whereas if you take fabric from Italy and trims from Japan that are then constructed in East London to form performance swimwear (alla COOTS) then this most definitely would.  We especially love this as it is the perfect metaphor for London itself - different cultures meeting and mixing to become greater than the sum of its parts.

So here are our TOP 5 REASONS WE MAKE OUR SWIMWEAR IN LONDON…

That’s Quality Mate

In a global survey carried out by Statista in 2017 buyers worldwide ranked countries according to the perceived strength of their country of origin. The UK was the 3rd highest ranked individual country for its ‘made in UK’ label and for good reason.  The UK’s and London manufacturing glory days may look to be in the past but the fact is we’re still very good at making sh*t.  Think about it?  Why do New Balance charge almost double for their Made in UK 1500 Shoes when compared to similar shoes?  It’s because they know the customer knows that the build quality is going to be better.  We back the build of our London-made swimwear so much that we offer a lifetime guarantee on all stitching and construction which would be nigh on impossible if we manufactured overseas.

Fit But You Know It

Swimwear is technical. We work hard to get that second skin feel in the water ensuring everything from the cut and shape to the stretch and where it hugs the body is perfect. Working with our London makers means we’re closer to the process. We can tweak a seam, rework a panel, or rethink a design without losing months to emails and shipping delays. The result? Pieces that fit better, feel better, look good and swim good.  It also means that the amount of samples we produce is significantly reduced which keeps our waste to a minimum.  Touch!

Don’t Sweat It

Now just because something is made in China doesn’t mean it is made by a 10 year old, working 12-hour days in a sweatshop but if you can’t visit your factory well, you just never know.  Our factory prides themselves in exceeding the industry requirements with higher wages and world-class working conditions and it shows.  We’ve got the luxury of being able to pop in and can see with our own eyes how good it is.  They also have a zero waste approach to manufacturing and only collaborate with like minded brands and suppliers.  Add to that the fact that they are absolute legends and we wouldn’t want to make anywhere else.    

Smaller Footprint

Producing overseas means there will be an inevitable transportation of goods back to the UK. Obviously the less distance a garment has to travel the less environmental impact it will have.  When we pick up our finished pieces from the factory we either cycle or jump on the tube.   Local production means less freight, less fuel, and far fewer emissions - keeping our carbon footprint low and our standards high.  

Smaller Runs, Less Waste

Overseas factories often demand large minimums or MOQ (minimum order quantities). This leads to overproduction, dead stock, and waste (we all know Waste Is Whack).  Working with our London factory we can be agile and make the right products, in the right quantity, at the right time all without huge lead times. This means we can drop our collections in small, considered runs that keep you guys wanting more!

There are lots of other reasons we could go into (e.g. giving back and providing jobs to the local community) but overall it just makes sense for us as a London brand to make our swimwear here.  We value the transparency, we love putting a face to name, we enjoy working closely with these legends and most importantly we understand what goes into the making of our swimwear and that’s why we rate it so highly.  We hope you do too.  COOTS London.  Made In London.