Los Angeles-based sustainable swimwear label Aro Swim recently debuted their new collection, Aro x MC 2, a collaboration with Netflix Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline.
Aro Swim teased Aro x MC 2 on their Instagram story last week as “something frilly, something sporty, something cheeky, something supportive… something for everybody because you matter.”
The Aro x MC 2 collection is a sequel to Aro x MC, which came out in May. The initial collection featured four new styles in two colours each. The release of Aro x MC 2 adds four more styles and colours to the collaborative project.
As promised, Aro x MC 2 features something for everyone: a bold, sporty design in the “Lee” bikini, a dainty design in “Cooley,” supportive and mid-rise modesty in “Lynn,” and a ‘Baywatch-worthy’ one-piece in “Emmie.” The colour palette is simple yet striking. Each new style comes in three to four colours: ‘bluff,’ ‘skylight,’ ‘scarlet,’ and ‘retro’ stripe. Each piece comes in sizes XS-XL.
According to Aro Swim, the collaboration with Cline has been a nine-month process, with the actress joining the design process in September of last year.
“This one’s a special one because I adore Aro, it is female-led and run, and they are the coolest people I’ve ever met,” Cline says in a promotional video. “If there’s anything anyone can tell you about me, it’s that I love a bikini and I love a martini… and I love that Aro let me come behind the scenes and pick out some colours and give my two cents and some of my ideas in the design of it all.”
The collaboration is a part of Aro’s “summer of sustainable swim” campaign, advertising the brand’s commitment to environmentally ethical practice. The two limited collections utilize upcycled, deadstock material and unused fabric from other companies. All new materials are made from a blend of recycled fibres (Aro x MC 2 specifically uses recycled rib and lycra). The company’s shipping mailers are compostable, made from a bio-based polymer (PBAT), and a blend of low-impact plant resources such as regular field corn and wheat straw (PLA).
Madelyn Cline had her breakout role in the hit Netflix TV series Outer Banks, which follows protagonist John B (played by actor Chase Stokes) and his friends (who call themselves the “Pogues”) on a crazy gold hunt. Cline plays Sarah Cameron, Stokes’ love interest and resident “princess” of the Outer Banks. Cline’s wardrobe in the North Carolina set drama mainly consists of flowy silhouettes and beachwear, a bikini and cut-off shorts being a staple look.
Cline’s social following has grown exponentially due to the show’s success. On Instagram, she currently has over 6.7 million followers, while the hashtag #outerbanks has over one million. As the world in quarantine grows obsessed with the coastal, honey-lit, alternate universe of Outer Banks, many fans are yearning to emulate the show’s aesthetic themselves. For this reason, Cline serves as the perfect sun-kissed face for Aro Swim.
With season two of Outer Banks coming out on July 30th, Cline’s influence will likely have many fans shopping the eco-friendly Aro x MC 2 collection, hopefully making Aro’s “summer of sustainable swim” a phenomenon bigger than the brand itself.
All images in this article are courtesy of Aro Swim.
