At first, Oy was a very small business. The goal, however, was to meet highest quality standards and make a coherent appearance from the very beginning in 2012. Since then, ten years have passed and the label has constantly evolved and improved. We are committed to the fair and sustainable production of our surf bikinis, as we love our planet and want to help make a difference.
As a manufacturing brand, we have been in a conflict between consumption and sustainability from day one. We want to have as little impact on the environment as possible and at the same time sell our products. One would think that the logical consequence would be not to produce any new products at all. However, knowing that there is a great demand for good bikinis, we have chosen to deliver a product that is as sustainable as possible, with the aim of pushing less sustainable bikinis off the market. This is why we started producing our bikinis exclusively out of recycled fabrics in 2019. The yarns used to create the bikinis are made from waste like old fishing nets, fabric scraps or plastic bottles. These are produced in Italy and Slovenia, two locations that were deliberately chosen because of the short transportation routes to Portugal, home to Oy’s production site.
We were able to learn an incredible amount about different materials and processes over the ten years we have been producing bikinis, and we continue to be on the lookout for new innovative materials that are ideally based on natural resources or at least don’t use any virgin oil-based resources.
As a brand, we want to constantly inspire and set a good example, especially when it comes to sustainability, and personally, we want to do something that makes us happy. With Oy, we have both: We launch a meaningful product and stand behind what we do 100%. But we realized quickly that we want to be more than just a product; we want to offer our customers extras by sharing our experience in bikini production and our knowledge of leading a more sustainable lifestyle. We’re very happy about how far we’ve already come on this journey, but this is definitely a goal we want to prioritize and pursue even more.
We also believe in the great value of community. When sharing our thoughts, feelings, and life experiences fearlessly, we can help one another grow. This is the reason why Oy has started hosting and co-hosting events and retreats over these years, to bring like-minded people together. People with similar interests and passions, who want to create a space to enjOy life and make time for what they truly love.
We are undoubtedly very happy to be widely known in the surf scene by now. In the last 10 years, we established great partnerships with surfers, artists, magazines and other brands. We see an incredible potential to unite with those like-minded people to make a change.
To celebrate our journey with Oy, we’ve created a special Oyphoria T-shirt to look back at all the great experiences and to look forward with Oyphoria to the exciting projects that are yet to come. You can now purchase the T-Shirt in our online store and celebrate with us.
