For decades, swimwear has been designed around stretch, speed and performance.
And there's a reason for that. If you're swimming competitively, surfing powerful waves or spending hours training in the water, technical fabrics have transformed what's possible.
But most of us aren't doing that.
We're sunbathing on the beach. Floating in the sea. Sitting in the sauna. Taking a morning dip in the lake before work. Stretching out on warm rocks, reading a book with salty hair and nowhere else to be.
It made me wonder: Why can't I do this in natural fibres instead?
The swimwear we never questioned
Like so many things, synthetic swimwear became the norm without many of us stopping to ask why.
Polyester, nylon and elastane now make up the vast majority of bikinis and swimsuits because they're lightweight, stretchy and quick to dry. They do exactly what they were designed to do.
They're functional.
But function isn't the only thing that matters.
As I began swapping synthetic products out of other areas of my life, I naturally started questioning what I was wearing too. That curiosity eventually became FLOS.
I wanted to know whether the same beautiful, flattering silhouettes we associate with modern swimwear could exist in natural fibres instead.
A contradiction I couldn't ignore
One of the reasons FLOS exists is because of a contradiction I kept coming back to.
We seek out the sea to feel connected to nature. We head to the sauna to slow down, sweat and reset. We spend long afternoons in the sunshine because it helps us feel more alive. Yet in each of those moments, most of us are wrapped in fabrics made from plastic.
The more I thought about it, the less it made sense. If I was consciously choosing natural skincare, cooking with whole foods and filling my home with natural materials, why would swimwear be any different?
It wasn't about being perfect. It was simply about finding something that felt more aligned with the way I wanted to live.
The closest thing to nature
Some of my favourite moments happen outdoors.
Sea swims before breakfast. Long sauna sessions. Quiet afternoons watching the tide come and go.
If I could experience those moments with nothing between me and nature, I probably would.
But that's not always practical. For me, natural fibres are the next best thing.
Organic cotton and hemp have a softness and texture that's completely different from conventional swimwear. They don't try to imitate nature—they simply are nature.
That's the feeling I wanted to create.
Not just another bikini. Something that feels like a natural extension of your skin.
Leaving a little less behind
There was another question I couldn't ignore.
If I love spending time in nature, what role do my clothes play in protecting it?
Synthetic fabrics can shed tiny plastic fibres throughout their lifetime, contributing to the growing issue of microplastic pollution in our waterways and oceans. Researchers are continuing to learn more about their long-term impact, but they have already been found throughout marine environments and in places many of us never imagined.
I realised I didn't want to keep contributing to that cycle if there was another option.
Choosing natural fibres won't solve every environmental challenge. But it felt like one small, meaningful step towards leaving a little less behind in the places that inspire us most.
Creating a different category
FLOS isn't here to tell people what they should wear. It's here to offer another choice.
A choice for people who already seek out natural skincare, organic food, linen bedding and slower ways of living.
A choice for those who believe what touches their skin matters.
A choice for anyone who has ever questioned why swimwear became so synthetic in the first place.
Natural fibre swimwear won't be the right answer for everyone.
But for those looking to feel a little closer to nature—in the sea, the sauna or the sun—we hope it feels like something you've been searching for.
