We catch up with very busy mumpreneur, Mel Reid, to find out what it takes to start a sustainable business that aims for positive change towards our environment (alongside mum duties!)
Our oceans and marine life have been at the forefront of news channels globally. But sadly, it’s for all the wrong reasons. We hear heart-wrenching news about the decline of marine life, coral reefs dying by the mile, and tons of plastic waste replacing sand on the ocean floor. Thankfully, awareness is making an impact, as are the incredible change makers within our communities.
One such change maker is Mel Reid, mum of two and the brainchild behind the swimwear brand Sandbar. A deep sea diver, Mel has seen pollution first-hand and shares how her brand reflects her sense of style and her virtues of saving the ocean’s growing plastic scene all at once.
Can you give us a little background about yourself and where it all began?
I grew up in the Canary Islands, which are a group of islands off the coast of Africa owned by Spain. My family moved out there when I was around 10 years old. My childhood memories are running around on pristine beaches and snorkelling in clear water and just really developing a love and a passion for the ocean and the nature around it. I then went off to university and did a lot of travelling. I took up diving from the age of 18. So I’ve done 200 dives globally, and I’m an advanced diver. I absolutely love it down there. So no matter what’s going on up there on the surface, whether it’s work-related or home related – when I’m underwater, I’m in a different world.
I moved to Singapore about 11 years ago, and I really took up becoming way more eco in the sense that I gave up plastic for my first Singapore lent.
What was that eureka moment for you when you realised you wanted to be part of the change, to eliminate the ever-growing plastic problem we face today?
There were two eureka moments for me. The first was shopping for my kids. I’d found a couple of organic cotton brands, but everything had a bit of plastic in it. Whether it was a backpack, swimwear or shoes made from polyester etc. So I thought to myself – can’t it be recycled at least? I couldn’t find anything fun and eco. My boy was into Paw Patrol, but there were no bags that were recycled plastic Paw Patrol. So I did a lot of research and thought – how can I put together a supply chain and create products made from recycled plastics instead of making new ones?
What also pushed me over the edge was watching David Attenborough’s new release, The Blue Planet. He’s iconic in the UK because every nature programme has David Attenborough’s voice. For my entire life, we had nature on the TV with David Attenborough. What I loved about what he has done in his more recent work is he has turned the camera around to show everyone what is actually going on, vs earlier when it was – let’s take a good shot but try and avoid the ugly side to show everyone how pristine nature is. And that changed consumer behaviour overnight.
Have you seen the impact of plastic pollution first-hand?
The biggest shock was when I went to a marine park. It was a protected marine area, and only a certain number of people go in at a time. You stop at this port, which is like a fishing village and then go out into the marine park. When you’re done diving, you come back to your resort. What’s lovely about the resort is it’s pristine and in its own bubble of a world.
When you come out, reality strikes! A large amount of trash was floating on the ocean between the port and the marine park. It was a kilometre of floating trash. I also remember seeing reef fish on the surface. I got so emotional and broke down in tears. In between the boat and the park, there’s so much devastation, and it’s because people don’t know any better. There’s no infrastructure, and perhaps tourism is not focused in that area and doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
The cool thing is nature finds its ways to adapt. We spotted crabs going in and out of the cans and corals growing over them. I don’t know if tin cans are an issue, but I do know that the plastic is breaking down. And plastic particles clog the pores of the corals. So they can’t breathe and begin to die off. It’s coupled with the increased acidification of the water. I’m not a scientist, but I know that plastic isn’t doing the coral reef any good.
Where did the inspiration come from to string together fabric and ocean plastic?
I was looking on the market for recycled fabrics that I could purchase for my kids. I found that it didn’t exist and was not so common. When I looked into aspects like – what are things made of? Where do they come from? I realised when you go back a few steps in the polyester lifecycle, it all comes down to plastic. So I thought – can’t we use the plastic that already floats around the world? The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has hundreds and thousands of tonnes of plastic – can we not use that?
So I did a lot of research and stumbled upon a fantastic company called Unifi. It’s an American brand that creates fabric called Repreve. They produce Repreve polyester and Repreve nylon too. They have huge silos that break down bottles, turn them into chips and make them into yarn. So my biggest concern was the carbon footprint of procuring Repreve from the US. But its most recent opening in Vietnam and China has made it easy for lots of different manufacturers in Asia.
Why did you decide to create a swimwear brand?
I would say three reasons. The first is it felt right for me to do something that connected me to the ocean. I wanted it to be ocean-related. The second reason is a lot of the swimwear you get on the market is made from plastic anyway, in the forms of nylon, polyester etc. And the third reason is linked closely to the second – my shopping experiences. I bought my little boy swimwear from another brand which came apart after just one season. I thought to myself, this is all pieces of plastic going into the ocean, and thousands of people are wearing things like this. It’s just making the whole matter worse. So I thought I can do two things here, I can make something high quality that doesn’t come apart and something that uses the plastic from the ocean at the same time.
Does the element of sustainability transcend beyond just the end product?
One of my biggest tasks is to continue improving the supply chain and check it for new suppliers. We recently just had some towels made in Turkey from Turkish cotton, and I told the supplier not to use plastic packaging and that the towels had to come in a box. I also check if they have a supplier that creates cornstarch bags. I’ve got a supplier who has different outlets globally. So all my suppliers are put in touch with the cornstarch bag guy, and then everything arrives in that, as opposed to plastic, so that it is biodegradable.
Besides the packaging, our gift boxes are made from recycled pulp and sugar cane. Our little thank you cards that get put in every order are made from recycled sugarcane. The bags are biodegradable too. It’s too ingrained in me to do that.
We are also looking into suppliers that are closer to Singapore. Vietnam and Indonesia, as opposed to Turkey and beyond, bring it closer so that we can decrease our carbon footprint going into production.
Plus, with every item we sell in our shop online, we pull plastic from the ocean in return. We have removed ten tonnes so far, which we are happy about. But we need to do more to make a big change.
Would you share with us how you are able to compute the approximate weight of plastic you pull out from the ocean?
The first aspect is the swimwear is made from plastic bottles collected locally at the mills where we purchase the fabric. There is an average of four to eight bottles in a pair of shorts. It’s a 100% plastic bottle on the shorts fabric that is 100% Repreve.
The second aspect is we work with Seven Clean Seas and report to them what our sales are on a month to month basis. And over the quarter, Seven Clean Seas will pull out the amount of kilos based on how many sales we have made. So every one item that we sell, we fund the removal of one kilo of plastic from the ocean. Our goal is to pull 1m kilos from the ocean.
Do customers come back to find out how many plastic bottles they have pulled from the ocean?
Every single person that buys from us registers as a Sandbar member. So you purchase from us, we take your email address that’s entered into the system to give you a receipt since we are paperless. Then they can log in with their email and check the following details on their individual accounts -I’ve bought ‘x’ number of items and pulled these many kilos of plastic from the ocean. We have different levels of awards for each person based on how much plastic they have pulled out. So once they reach a certain amount, they climb up to different levels of achievement. As they pull more plastic, they get access to free samples every quarter, free swimwear, the newest swimwear that comes out, and what gets released, they get access to it for lifetime discounts. So we want to encourage people to aim for a top level to boost their impact on the environment.
Is there a plan for swimwear after it’s been used?
That’s a great question because it’s the next step for us. We have a little care label inside our swimwear, which says, ‘Please hand me down to the next sibling’. So we want people to get aware and keep the product going. But once every sibling has worn in, we want to have collections at our stores where people can bring in their garments when they have finished. We can upcycle them, deconstruct and then reconstruct them into something new again.
There are two ideas – we either turn it into a new product or hand it back to a company that specialises in that to remake it into something new. Or people might want to keep it as a memento and have it made into something of sentimental value. So there is something we can be doing there for sure.
What inspired the catchy designs of Sandbar?
We wanted things to stand out. I spoke to other mothers, particularly through FaceWedge. And I got lots of feedback like, “I want dinosaurs for my nine-year-old girl, and it does not have to be for a boy.” Or, “My boy likes purple ice lollies.” They inspired us a lot. I also realised that normal swimwear shops give you blues and block colours. But where is all the fun? So we sat down and drew our designs.
We also have a great team who can really take our designs and bring them to life. And that design process is the most fun for me. I’ve got 11 years in sales operations, but I also love being creative and designing things. When you’ve got kids, and you know what you want to see them wearing, that’s when you can bring it to life as well.
We also brought some patterns into the adults’ swimwear range so kids and adults can match. I was a bit nervous and thought – who would want to wear lollies? But as it turns out, lollies are one of our best-selling prints.
Are you planning to make Sandbar international?
For now, we are in Singapore and want to be sure we get it right. Like the product fitting and the patterns, and that everyone’s happy with the products. I would like to go out to other countries eventually, like Europe. I am from the UK, and it would be great to have my family and friends wear it. I’d love to go to Australia as well, mainly because it’s close to Singapore, and I think it has a similar demographic.
Where can we head to get our hands on Sandbar swimwear?
We have one store in Tanglin Mall, and we will be there until September 2024. And we are also talking to another mall that is very nearby for a second store. So, we should have two stores by the end of the year.
What is it like to take care of a family and be an entrepreneur mum?
It’s a multitasking challenge. When I was setting up Sandbar two-three years ago, I was still working full-time for another company. But I wanted to do something which enabled me to make a real change, change mindsets, and create a sense of community around the cause. That’s when I thought – let’s go into this. I was juggling my first child, my job, Sandbar and my art shop (on the side).
Going back to it, I think the biggest challenge for me was when I got pregnant with my second child. That was just at the crux of launching, and I was very tired. It was very challenging to do everything at the same time, but I was determined to continue because I was passionate. My evenings meant no Netflix, but maybe a little pillow talk with my husband on what’s the plan for the next day, and it was just really exciting for us.
Did running a business and being a parent intertwine along the way?
Aside from being a parent, I had to weave in starting the new business, doing photo shoots and designing new products. But I’m a hands-on mom. So my kids came with me to a lot of these things because I wanted to be there. I didn’t want to not see them grow up. So my baby was part of the photo shoot we did in Bali. She got to try on our baby wear range and was there every step of the way.
Every weekend, we also try to weave in family days out with testing products too. The family gets access to different samples to try things on. Sometimes my boy might have to wear a girl’s bathing suit just to show if it fits or not. It gets a little bit crazy sometimes.
What advice do you have for other mums looking to start their own business?
I think the best ideas have come from mothers who have found a gap in something they’re looking for. Whether it’s a yearning for an eco or sustainable product or a product that isn’t on the market. A couple of mums I know said – I want to do it, but I’m so busy. You’re always going to be busy as a mother. Many mums have great ideas and talents and doubt themselves about having the time. But if you can spin many plates, which most mums do anyway, there’s that extra plate you can fit in and prioritise a little bit of time.
If you’re like me, and you value family time, you can incorporate it into family time, make it fun, and maybe your kids and your husband can add value along the way. But don’t give up, and if it’s something you’re passionate about, keep going. It can take two years to launch, but at least you know you’ve done it slowly and carefully and launched something you’re passionate about. Have a bit of self-belief and stand by your values because you can make it work.
Thank you, Mel, for sharing your inspiring story!
