Designed in New York Metropolis – Examined in Bali.
Erika Togashi is a dressmaker from New York Metropolis with a love and keenness for the browsing way of life.
Erika devoted over fifteen years to well-known manufacturers together with Patagonia, The North Face, J. Crew and Deus Ex Machina, firmly establishing herself on the top-end of a aggressive trade.
SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER is the fruits of Erika’s dream to create a model focussed on timeless and stylish surf and swim put on, constructed on a basis of sustainability and sound moral practices.
From their environmental commitments to their physique positivity messages, SEPTEMBER are a really inspirational model.
“I spent a lot time in search of an ideal easy swimsuit for browsing – one which made me really feel assured and female, stayed on, and was produced from sustainable supplies. So I took that leap of religion and began to design and produce my very own sustainable swimwear. One and a half years later, SEPTEMBER was launched.”
Erika Togashi
The model is only impartial and self-funded. The title SEPTEMBER, impressed by the month itself, is a illustration of recent beginnings with the altering of seasons, and naturally the perfect month to surf on the East Coast!
Performance, Sturdiness, and Sustainability
SEPTEMBER fits are constructed for performance and sturdiness out and in of water. Every garment is a part of a stringent design course of that ensures the match, colour, and supplies mix into streamlined and basic silhouettes.
The workforce assessments each design not as soon as, however as much as 5 occasions per swimsuit! After samples are produced, they’re instantly fitted on surfers who take them to the ocean. Testing continues till everyone seems to be comfortable. I simply love their ethos;
“After we’re comfortable, we all know you may be too.”
One side of SEPTEMBER merchandise that the Surfd workforce love is the improbable aesthetics, but the technical efficiency of the fits guarantee they carry out at a high-level session after session, season after season. The SEPTEMBER Instagram is the proper platform to see the superior designs in motion.
“Gone are the times the place you’ll want to fear about your ‘feminine bits’ protruding. Focus in your browsing method and magnificence, we’ve received you lined – actually.”
Whenever you browse the SEPTEMBER vary you may instantly see that the model loves a impartial colour palette, permitting their swimwear to transcend seasons. Nevertheless, Erika and the workforce should not scared to bolden issues up often, releasing a design that’s as hanging as it’s stunning.
Erika believes that every SEPTEMBER swimsuit has a narrative to inform, a narrative of what she likes to name conscientious design.
From the very begin, sustainability and environmental components influenced the selections made by SEPTEMBER. It’s so refreshing to see sustainability remaining firmly on the core of the model, regardless of their success. Erika continues to stick to her message of high quality over amount, sustaining the small run manufacturing at a feminine owned manufacturing unit in Bali.
Manufacturing & Design
Whereas I typically name manufacturers out for misusing “Inexperienced Labeling”, it’s improbable to see that SEPTEMBER cares about each stage of each course of. They’re significantly passionate in regards to the situations that staff are subjected to.
Most staff have been with the manufacturing unit for over twenty years, with generational cross-over as workers carry members of the family to work alongside them as a part of the SEPTEMBER workforce. Everyone seems to be paid a base dwelling wage which is 3x increased than the Indonesian minimal wage. As well as, they’re paid per piece they sew, given a every day meals allowance and paid time beyond regulation for any work accomplished previous 5pm.
Sustainable Cloth
SEPTEMBER’s signature luxurious cloth is sourced from Italy. It’s recycled and produced from 78% ECONYL® regenerated nylon and 22% elastane, which comes from pre and put up industrial waste, together with ghost fishing nets and carpet fluff. The yarns may be infinitely recycled, supporting the SEPTEMBER imaginative and prescient of a round style trade.
10,000 tons of ECONYL® eliminates 12,000 kilos of waste and 42,000 tons of CO2 emissions. This sustainable Italian cloth combines a singular mixture of muscle compression, sculpting and luxury and because of its revolutionary building, it’s twice as proof against chlorine, suntan lotions and oils than typical recycled cloth. Not solely is the material resilient, it additionally ensures that each SEPTEMBER garment offers you with a solar safety issue of UPF 50
Packaging
All SEPTEMBER swing tags are produced from 100% recycled card paper. The hygiene liners are produced from materials that’s environmentally pleasant and biodegradable.
Each swimsuit is packaged with care in a reusable natural cotton drawstring bag and arrives in a 100% compostable bag produced from sustainably-sourced vegetation.
“There may be already a lot waste throughout the retail panorama and to not point out the quick style trade. We’re doing issues otherwise.”
An Interview with Erika Togashi
We’re delighted to have spent a bit little bit of time with Erika just lately.
Hello Erika, Thanks a lot for taking the time to speak with us. Are you presently in New York or Bali?
Hey Nathan, After all, thanks a lot for together with SEPTEMBER in your combine! I’m presently in Bali however am planning on heading again to NYC within the subsequent month or so.
How have the waves been? Does your busy schedule mean you can seize a couple of sneaky
classes?
I want I had higher information for you, however the waves have been lower than very best recently. We’ve had a nasty wet season so I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t had a correct surf since I received again from the Mentawais in early November. Wet season turns the water fairly soiled in Bali and since I’m not a fan of nostril or ear infections, I run and prepare as a substitute. When the season is on, I do attempt to surf a pair occasions per week, however I’ve to say, operating an impartial enterprise doesn’t permit for as a lot time for browsing as I would love!
Are you able to inform us a bit extra about the inspiration behind SEPTEMBER?
It began in 2017-18. I used to be dwelling in Bali and browsing every day and I simply couldn’t discover any swimwear that stayed on, lasted various months and wasn’t over-designed with loud prints or vivid colours. Nothing was supplied in sustainable materials – that wasn’t even an choice. If I used to be pissed off by the dearth of swimwear, in Bali of all of the locations, I knew others should be feeling the identical approach too. I’m a designer by commerce so it felt pure for me to begin designing my very own swimwear. Having designed for Patagonia, The North Face and different manufacturers, I’m naturally drawn in the direction of purposeful design and that’s what SEPTEMBER is about – clear, trendy, sustainable design.
At Surfd we love the basic styling of the SEPTEMBER clothes. Is there a specific period of surf / swimwear design that you just really feel units the requirements?
I personally love the 50-60’s for males’s boardshorts designs, there’s a lot to be mentioned forunderstated purposeful design which is what these boardshorts got it was earlier than they began browsing in fast dry materials. However for girls’s swimwear I feel we’re presently setting the usual for design. Extra ladies are browsing immediately than ever earlier than and so they need swimwear that makes them really feel assured, stunning and relaxed out and in of the water. They don’t need to put on a string bikini that hardly cowl them, has ladies portrayed as intercourse objects, and mass produced in a manufacturing unit on the opposite facet of the world. Girls need swimwear designed for girls by ladies and we live in a time when that’s a actuality. SEPTEMBER is an ideal instance of that.
Which designs do you end up largely carrying for a surf session?
Something and every little thing that’s lengthy sleeves and excessive waisted – so the Scorpion Solar Crop Prime(impressed from getting completely fried on a surf journey to Scorpion Bay in Baja) and the Fortunate Bottoms. I’m additionally very excited a few new lengthy sleeve surf swimsuit that’s popping out this season – the Baja Surf Go well with. I’ve been testing it out for the final yr and after many, many samples, I’m lastly able to share it with everybody.
As I’ve gotten older and turn into rather more acutely aware of solar harm, I’m all about thecoverage. I can’t consider how a lot time I used to spend browsing in a bikini, now I’m lined head to toe (nearly). It’s additionally an added bonus that the Italian regenerated materials we use is UPF50!
Do you assume we’ll ever see a time the place the surf trade turns into actually sustainable?
Good query! I want to say in fact, however I’m not so positive. Surfboards…that’s a wholecategory by itself that I can’t communicate to. For swimwear and attire, to be actually sustainable, we shouldn’t be producing something new, simply recycling and shopping for second hand. I’m not positive how a lot that can catch on with swimwear and boardshorts. I’d love to have the ability to provide a recycle program like Patagonia’s WORN WEAR, however haven’t been in a position to determine the logistics of a program like that for an organization our measurement. It might be nice if swimwear manufacturers may mix forces to collectively recycle/upcycle swimwear and someway give it a brand new life – whether or not it’s pillow stuffing, board bag covers…you title it! To finish on a optimistic observe, I feel it’s superb that so many swimwear manufacturers are actually utilizing recycled supplies and packaging. Now, you’re nearly an outlier when you’re not utilizing recycled supplies.
What’s subsequent for SEPTEMBER? Any thrilling information on the horizon?
We’re nearly to launch our Spring/Summer time 2022 assortment and I’m so enthusiastic about. Icollaborated with two superb ladies this season, Elizabeth Sneed from @curvysurfergirl to now provide extra sizing to our assortment, and Lauren Yates from W’MENSWEAR who designed a ravishing authentic hand painted camo for a couple of of our key items. We’re additionally persevering with our collaboration with feminine surf legend Kassia Meador and Lola Mignot. Kassia has been extremely supportive of SEPTEMBER since day one and I really like working together with her.
One among my very long time facet initiatives will likely be launching later this yr, SEPTEMBER Transfer – a small capsule assortment of key activewear tops and bottoms to maintain you shifting yr spherical, particularly whenever you’re not in a position to get within the water for a surf.
Spring/Summer time 22
Right here at Surfd we merely can’t wait to see the Spring/Summer time 22 vary from SEPTEMBER! Watch this house as we’ll carry you full particulars of Erika’s gorgeous new designs as quickly as we are able to.
