
Minnow Bathers
Canada · Est. 2009 · Affordable
Minnow Bathers is a Canadian swimwear label for women, founded in Toronto in 2009 by friends Karen Donaldson and Vanessa Warrack. After studying fashion design in different cities, the pair returned home and began making swimsuits for friends, frustrated by tiny string bikinis and wanting suits that actually fit and stayed on while swimming, camping and jumping off cliffs. The label designs high-performance swimwear in a range of sizes and styles that reflect the diversity of the human form. Minnow releases one collection a year of one-piece maillots such as the ADDER, BRIAR and CARSON, bikini tops like the ABBIE and AMBER, and matching bottoms. Every suit is made to order, by hand, in its Toronto studio using minimal-waste pattern-making and fabric design, and it also sells fabric scraps. Its newer fabrics are chlorine-resistant and UV-blocking, made from 78% ECONYL recycled yarn and 22% spandex, and its prints are digitally printed in Montreal. Since 2017 it has worked with artist Daniel Innes on hand-drawn textile designs, and it ships in compostable mailers. Minnow donates a percentage of each sale to nature conservation organisations and has been featured by The FADER and the National Post.





