Nani Swimwear girl-gang gives back
Nani Swimwear, a women-run business in Smithfield, strives to empower women and celebrate body diversity. They emphasize that all bodies are swimsuit bodies and want all women to feel comfortable and beautiful in their bodies. Nani means beautiful in the Hawaiian language.
The three pillars of Nani’s mission are inclusivity, sustainability and active coverage.
The first pillar is inclusivity. Nani is working to normalize body diversity by speaking out against unrealistic beauty standards in women’s fashion. Their swimsuit catalog does not feature professional models or digitally manipulate their portraits. They advocate for inclusivity by creating a wide variety of swimsuits designed to make women feel adventurous and beautiful in their own bodies.
The second pillar of the Nani mission is sustainability. Since 2021, all Nani swimsuits are made from recycled water bottles. Nani has a goal to be completely plastic-free by 2024.
The final pillar is active coverage. Amy Rasmussen, the operations director of Nani, said many women struggle to feel comfortable in a swimsuit. The mission was inspired by a lack of fashion-forward swimsuits that also provide active coverage.
Nani seeks opportunities to encourage women to empower other women. In September, they donated $5,000 worth of sweatshirts and sports bras to CAPSA in Logan as part of an effort to support women escaping abuse.
In October, for Breast Cancer Awareness month, Nani encouraged women to prioritize their health and get regular checkups. They donated $10,000 worth of cozy pink sweatshirts and handwritten notes to support women fighting breast cancer.
Pride Embroidery in Logan donated the screen printing to create the sweatshirts, which feature a pink graphic and the breast cancer awareness ribbon. The donations went to women receiving treatment at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Intermountain Cancer Center in Logan.
Rasmussen said this year was the first annual donation to women battling cancer, and the company will continue to donate in the future. As breast cancer is the most common form of cancer found in women, the sweatshirt donation is significant to Nani’s mission of women supporting women.
“We are very passionate about what we do and are always looking for ways to give back,” Rasmussen said via a phone interview.
The Nani team received feedback on how touched the recipients of the sweatshirts were. The team was unable to hand them out directly but said the nurses were excited.
Ellie Ward, a designer at Nani, graduated from the outdoor product design and development program at Utah State University. She designed the sweatshirts, along with many of Nani’s products.
“My favorite part of the Nani brand is that they are always striving for innovation and improvement,” Ward said. “They’re always looking for ways to be more sustainable and inclusive for all women’s body types.”
She said she loves the mission and the creativity the brand is constantly aspiring to.
Nani encourages women to be adventurous and spread love.
“Women supporting women really is what it boils down to,” Rasmussen said. “Giving back, serving others and kindness are what it’s all about.”
Rasmussen said her team is actively finding ways to be innovative and achieve their goals. New things are in store for the brand, including a four-way reversible product line that will be released in fall of next year.
The Breast Cancer Support Squad Sweatshirts can be found on naniswimwear.com, where 100% of the proceeds are donated to the cause.