In November 2018, I took some time out before Eco Fashion Week to spend time with family. I hopped on the ferry from Fremantle and sailed across to Rottnest Island (‘Rotto’) with a whole bag of Cecile Swim.
Rotto is a popular spot for bike riding, snorkelling, and spotting cute quokkas (see image below). Cars aren’t allowed on the island (apart from emergency and service vehicles and buses), so it makes for a great eco-tourism trip as well!
Note: Rottnest Island is in the midst of developing a new Eco Retreat. I rode past the development a couple of times and, in all honesty, I feel a bit uneasy about how environmentally friendly these glamping tents will really be. Small steps, nonetheless. I’d be eager to go here after the retreat opens to give my full review!
Historically, we’d usually visit the island in the down season when it’s cheaper and hosts fewer visitors. In winter on Rottnest, you’d probably find me in a wetsuit and doing laps of the shore just to keep warm. However, this time was an exception! The sun was beaming for our entire trip!
While I suffered a minor embarrassing t-shirt tan (that I’m still working at remedying), I managed to spend some quality time during our recent trip in the ocean. The lovely Charlotte, founder of Cecile Swim, lent me her entire Aries Collection for the occasion. I fell in love with the pieces so much that I stole the Metallic Burnt Orange set – don’t tell Cecile Swim!
(That’s a joke, but I did choose to keep a two piece with Charlotte’s permission ?).
The Aries One Piece
Glenn and I woke up nice and early on our first morning for a 7 am paddle. Regardless of the icy-cold water, I stayed in for a surprising amount of time (although, it took me about 10 minutes to actually get in the water).
I was so glad I wore the Aries One Piece for our morning photo shoot – it kept my body heat in really well!
I am honestly so impressed with the quality of Cecile Swim’s fabric. All their pieces are really thick and durable, the elastic is strong, and they hug your body beautifully. While polyamide and elastane aren’t the most environmentally friendly materials, this collection by Cecile Swim really is made to last many seasons. I can’t imagine it ever sagging or losing its shape.
The Aries Two Piece
During our final days on Rotto, we all went for a tiring and sweaty bike ride around the whole island (probably about 30+ kilometres or 19-ish miles). We stopped off at Little Salmon Bay for a dip and admired the boats moored in the bay.
I wore the two-piece that I decided to keep. The burnt orange colour is to die for and the cut will never age. It’s versatile and classy.
In Cecile Swim’s ‘We Own the Night’ campaign, this two piece was even styled for everyday wear. I’ll probably end up wearing the top as everyday wear at some stage this summer!
On our last evening on the island, we headed down to The Basin. I chucked on the Aries Two Piece in black for a quick shoot! This is where Glenn took the photo for our Cecile Swim giveaway (now closed).
Cecile Swim
I’m so grateful that Charlotte let me bring a whole bunch of Cecile Swim on my little adventure.
Produced under safe and fair working conditions in Indonesia and providing a real living wage for their manufacturers, I love that Cecile Swim are as passionate about ethically made and slow fashion as I am. I can’t wait to see how they build – even more so – on their environmentally sustainable practices in the future.
For the cherry on top, Cecile Swim has a strong focus on promoting and encouraging self-love. As we shot the pieces with this thought in mind, I didn’t feel any pressure to position my body in any particular way to make myself look desirable.
The collection is minimal and powerful, allowing me to be my raw, feminine self, too.
Charlotte puts so much thought and detail into her designs and brand. She genuinely wants to use Cecile Swim as a force to push sustainable fashion and body diversity in swimwear. Sadly, and increasingly, this isn’t always the case for a lot of ethical and sustainable brands out there.
It’s really exciting to come across an authentic brand with such a vision (and from my home city too!).
If I return to Rotto to visit the new Eco Retreat, I’ll definitely be bringing my Aries Two Piece again. Thank you, Cecile Swim, for making this journey that extra bit special!
Great to see a swimwear brand that’s both ethical and sustainable. Really positive!