Sustainability and Luxury Go Hand in Hand with Zonarch
Geneviève Andre de la Porte firmly believes that unless a product is made to be functional with a positive impact on our world, there’s no place for it. “No business is truly sustainable,” notes the founder of the Newport Beach-based sustainable swimwear brand, Zonarch.
Zonarch’s swimwear is made from 100% post-consumer waste GRS-certified regen nylon, which ensures they are not using any petroleum-based nylon or polyester to create their fabrics. “We found this to be the best solution to give consumer waste another life, rather than see it fill up landfills or end up in the ocean,” explains the founder.
Launched in the midst of the pandemic — in winter no less! — the designer is not letting life get in the way of her mission to bring luxury swimwear to the masses at affordable prices, and holds her brand and herself to a high standard when it comes to sustainability.
Growing up in Antwerp, Belgium, Andre de la Porte trained to become a competitive gymnast, ingraining in her a passion for hard work and dedication. In her free time, the young athlete dreamed of California’s surf and skate culture, making amateur sketches of swimsuits that she, herself, would one day like to wear on the Pacific’s beaches. After spending some time in America with family, the budding entrepreneur took the next step towards her dreams and made the move to SoCal, enrolling at Chapman University.
While studying she took a job as an e-commerce director for the local swimwear brand, Mikoh, and learned everything she possibly could about the swimwear industry — from concept to customer — and it wasn’t long before she was mapping out her own business model.
“Early on, it became very clear that there was a big opportunity for swimwear brands with a direct- to-consumer model, as there were no strong online swimwear sites… yet the demand for them was growing fast,” she recalls.
“After seeing where hundreds of these similar swimwear brands were falling short, I started to dream up the idea of Zonarch. I wanted to see how I could fill the empty space in the market.”
It took four years to officially launch Zonarch (a play on the Dutch word “Zon,” meaning “sun” and “Arch” to represent curves in architecture), because Andre de la Porte wasn’t going to cut any corners as so many brands do these days. She searched high and low for the right manufacturing partners for the quality she was looking to produce before deciding on recycled material manufactured in Vietnam, brought to California to be sewn by workers who make a fair wage.
“Since sustainable fabrics are more limited than, say, the options for polyester, rayon, or non-organic cotton, I have far less choice, but only settle for ones that meet my expectations for quality, comfort, and style,” explains Andre de la Porte.
“I’m a purist in this way.”
With the amount of care and detail that goes into Zonarch’s designs, in a market saturated by luxury swimwear at luxury prices (often in the realm of $250-300), Andre de la Porte was met with the challenge of figuring out a way for her creations to be accessible for buyers. “The swimwear industry has set, unbeknownst to the consumer, notoriously expensive prices in relation to their cost of production,” she explains. Zonarch was able to avoid this by adopting a direct-to-consumer business model and a commitment to honest pricing, offering best-in-class swimwear at 40-50% less than competing brands — everything from their iconic Yoko One-Piece ($130) to their signature Joan Top and Bottom ($144).
With everything lined up and set to launch, the world was hit with the pandemic. With factories pausing to focus on producing personal protective equipment, Andre de la Porte made the decision to postpone her launch until December 2020.
While not the most ideal time to launch a swimwear brand, the founder knows there is a market for her sustainable designs now more than ever — and if that means throwing on a sweatshirt over your bikini as you head to the beach to marvel at the beauty that is SoCal’s beaches in the midst of winter, that’s perfectly fine with Andre de la Porte, who, everyday, is living her California dream.
At the end of the day, she just wants to make luxury swimwear that everyone can love; Zonarch’s designs come in a wide range of sizes for both men and women (currently up to size 14, with plans to expand to size 22 for their 2021 collections).
Whether you’re going for full coverage or a more cheeky vibe, you’re sure to find the perfect suit with Zonarch. “Our customers are multifaceted and I want to honor that rather than focus on one limited aspect of them,” notes Andre de la Porte. “Putting on a swimsuit — no matter what your body looks or feels like — should be a rebellious moment of self-love and empowerment.”
All of Zonarch’s designs can be found on Zonarch.com or through their Instagram. Be on the lookout for their up-and-coming launch featuring men’s boardshorts and unisex holiday apparel, set to launch summer 2021.
Logan Cross is a writer and dancer based in Los Angeles. Find her on Instagram and Twitter, or in her bed watching bad reality TV.