Hi, I’m Lindsay -

Swimsuit designer, mother, and the one woman show that sits (happily!) behind the sewing machine making all of your custom Acuarela pieces. I do everything from the pattern selections and cuts to packing and shipping.

Not your average business story. Here is how it happened:

On a surf trip to Mexico, I realized my obsession with the sun and waves was never going to end.  In 2008 I packed up my life in Vancouver, Canada and moved to a small town in Baja California to pursue my dream of living full time on the beach and surfing every day.  I was wearing bikinis more than clothes and quickly realized that swimwear was very difficult to find in Baja at the time. 

I had a little sewing experience so I decided to figure out how to make them myself.  I watched a YouTube video, bought some fabric, and viola! It turned out pretty good.  At first I had minimal sewing skills but I was determined to perfect all the creative ideas I had.

Sewing became another enjoyable obsession, like surfing. After 6 extremely challenging months of trial and error, I finally began making bikinis I was proud of. My next task was to make them for all my friends which turned out to be my greatest joy of all. Soon the word got out and I began taking orders.

10 years later I am still going strong and life has taken me to another country.  Now I design, create patterns, cut and sew all the bikinis myself here in my studio in beautiful Santa Cruz, CA.

Sustainable And Made-To-Order Swimwear

Acuarela has come a long way since since 2011. Today the main focus is creating swimwear on a made-to-order basis. This means that they are cut and sewn only after a customer places an order. Not only does this reduce textile waste and unwanted products in our landfills, the end result is a one-of-a-kind suit that is tailored to the customer’s style and preferences. This approach also encourages the customer to reconnect with the notion of time and quality, moving from impulse buying that makes us unhappy to a more thoughtful and sastisfying way of shopping. This behavioural shift is essential to mitigating the massive problem of overproduction caused by fast fasion.

Acuarela suits are made using recycled fabrics composed of post-consumer textile waste and discarded plastic bottles. Fabrics are purchased in small quantities and scrap pieces are always used to make kids rash guards.