“I started Lilja the Label back in 2016, and I have loved watching it grow from a personal project into a team and a brand worn by customers around the world. As we grow, our responsibility needs to grow as well. We are not perfect, but we work on it every year. My personal favourites so far have been launching #liljapicking, our trash-picking challenge, and Lilja Preloved, our channel for finding new homes for 2nd hand Lilja swimwear.”

– Laura Saarinen, founder & CEO

We are aware of the environmental impact of the clothing industry and our responsibility in this matter, and we want to be as transparent as possible. For clarity, you can find the breakdown of each fabric on every product page.

The main material in our swimwear is Vita by the Italian mill Carvico. In most styles it is 78% ECONYL® regenerated nylon and 22% elastane. ECONYL® is made from recycled waste materials such as discarded fishing nets, fabric scraps and industrial plastics, giving these resources a new life.

The fabric weighs 190 g/m², resists chlorine, sun cream and oils, keeps its shape and protects against UV rays. We always use two layers of it.

• We make small batches. We order carefully, restock what sells and use pre-orders to see real demand before we produce more. Overproduction is the clothing industry’s biggest problem, and the simplest way to avoid waste is not to make it.
• Our bestsellers stay. The same styles come back year after year. We don’t split our range into new and old – to us, a Lilja piece is never last season’s.
• We never discard anything. Not unsold stock, returned items, photoshoot samples or faulty items. We have high standards for what goes back on sale: every returned item goes through a careful manual inspection before it is re-sold. Samples and 2nd quality items are sold at our store in Helsinki with a discount.
• A short supply chain we know. Our fabric comes from one mill in Italy and our swimwear is sewn at one family-run factory in Portugal, which we visit ourselves. Our entire production has been in the European Union since 2022. The fabric travels from Italy to Portugal by road, and the finished swimwear travels by road from Portugal to our warehouses in Finland and Germany.
• Made to last. We design and make our swimwear to be worn for years. We test every style before it goes into production, and the sewing quality is something we don’t compromise on. Every piece has two layers of the same fabric instead of a thin lining, the fabric keeps its shape and resists pilling, and ties and drawstrings let you adjust the fit over time.
• Fewer unnecessary returns. Tops and bottoms are sold separately in sizes XS–3XL, so you only buy what fits. We don’t offer free returns, as they often lead to impulse purchasing and a higher rate of returns – one exchange per order is included instead.
• #liljapicking and Lilja Preloved. In 2022 we launched #liljapicking, our challenge to activate our customers in taking care of their local nature, and in 2023 Lilja Preloved, our channel for 2nd hand Lilja swimwear.