Naya Swimwear: sustainable suits for all shapes
By Kaila Mellos
Netta Ziv, a San Diego local, has been running her own sustainably sourced swimwear line – Naya Swimwear – since 2016.
Ziv studied in Tel Aviv, Israel, where she learned all about textile design, trends, patterns, colors and color combinations. She picked up a liking for making custom swimsuits after she started making her fabric with unique prints.
“I started making the swimsuits custom made,” Ziv said. “Girls would come to my small apartment and I would make each girl – according to her size and the prints that she chose – a suit. Then from word of mouth, it just started getting a little bigger, and I opened the studio and then a shop in Israel. Now I also expanded from Israel to San Diego.”
Ziv makes various styles, not only different types of tops and bottoms, but also one-pieces and an apparel line. All of her Naya Swimwear items are size inclusive ranging from small to double X.
“I measure my customers and ask them, ‘How do you like the coverage?’ – ‘How do you like the straps?’ ‘A wider strap or a thinner strap?’” Ziv explained. “So, I try to get as much information from my customers to make them happy.”
With her line being so size-inclusive, Ziv makes it a point to display her bathing suits for online sale with models of all different sizes.
“We always post the customers that tag us so our customers can see how they fit. Not only are you seeing a specific size of model, but everyone can see different body types and shapes and sizes,” she said.
Her bathing suits and apparel line are all sustainably made within the U.S. with recycled materials.
“All of the fabric is made from recycled fabrics. So, it’s plastic bottles, and it’s nets collected from the sea and turned into fiber and then made into fabric,” Zev explained. “Also, all the sewing is done here locally in California in Orange County. I am against making (them) in China since I can’t see the working environment. I only want the highest quality.”
These bathing suits range in price from $74 up to $125.
Her suits are sold online and in multiple stores spread out through California, including her studio in Carlsbad and her original location in Tel Aviv. Her studio in Carlsbad caters to appointments only for people who want to try on one of the bathing suits before buying or get fittings done.
“The best way is to order online. If people need to ask about sizing and consult, then there’s, of course, email, Instagram direct messaging, or to call. It’s very, very comfortable ordering online,” Ziv said.
For more information, visit nayaswimwear.us.
