Swimwear brand Kamara has won silver in the Best Sustainable Swimwear category at the 2024 Clean + Conscious Awards.
The brand's wining garment - the ONYX One-Piece - is a recycled, sustainable marvel designed for low environmental impact and is as clever as it is comfortable.
Made with regenerated nylon and lined with fabric from recycled plastic bottles, it offers UPF 50+ protection.
The long-sleeve, body-shaping swimsuit combines Australian-made style, comfort and functionality.
Kamara founder and designer Naomi Collings said Onyx is the brand's most daring yet durable piece.
"Onyx is our most daring yet durable piece, matching sustainability with comfort and beauty. It's challenging to balance, but the reward means so much to us, our customers and the earth," Collings said earlier this year.
"Onyx is made with ECONYL® regenerated Nylon from the Healthy Seas initiative - fabrication that's elegant, fine, soft, and breathable.
"It offers muscular compression, comfort, and UV protection (UPF50+) while resisting chlorine, sun creams, and oils."
Now in its sixth year, the Clean + Conscious Awards were created to acknowledge and celebrate the best clean and conscious products available in both Australia and New Zealand.
During that time, the awards have set the gold standard for recognising products that are clean, ethical, sustainable and responsible.
Impressing a panel of experts comprised of influential voices in eco-leadership, beauty, wellness, sustainability education and ethical fashion, this year's judges were intrigued by the brands unique swimwear offering.
"It covers more areas of skin (arms, shoulders and back) than other swimwear which is great protection from the sun," said panel judge Nina Gbor.
"I also appreciated that their products are made in Australia, which makes transparency and ethical standards easier to verify."
Panel judges included Kelley Sheenan (Editor-in-chief and Founder of Peppermint magazine), Sarah Berry (Lifestyle Health Editor, Sydney Morning Herald and The Age), Sigourney Cantelo (Founder, Beauticate), Erin Norden (Clean Beauty Market), Montana Lower (Environmental Engineer and Activist), Julie Mathers (Flora + Fauna), Laura Wells (Environmentalist, Presenter, and Model), Magdalena Roze (Food Journalist) and Nina Gbor (Ethical Fashion Advocate).
The awards also reached new heights in 2024 with 342 products winning awards across a record-breaking 114 categories.
The significant growth reflects the increasing consumer demand for transparency and authenticity from brands as well as the expanding market for clean and conscious products.
Awards founder and Head of Research and Education, Emily Fletcher, said the desire for clean and conscious products is only increasing.
"Since starting the Awards in 2019, the landscape for clean and conscious products has transformed," Fletcher said.
"Consumers today are more informed and seek out products that align with their values. However, the challenges of greenwashing and misinformation persist.
"Our Awards play a crucial role in empowering consumers with trustworthy information to make healthier, more responsible choices."
Whilst the awards categories spanned across everything from sexual wellness, cooking and baking, micro-batch skincare and more, each finalist product undergoes scientific analysis before earning a nomination.
The 2024 Awards Directory also offers its readers trusted insights into what makes each winning product ethical, sustainable and responsible.
After a successful series of runways, editorials and accolades, the award is another achievement Kamara can add to the brand's growing success.
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