Swimming, sustainability and Donegal are the three loves of sisters Sally Anne Sherry and Áine Boyle, founders of Kahm swimwear. Set up in 2021 to create jobs in Donegal while also reducing textile waste and marine litter, the company is using regenerated nylon made from old fishing nets, nylon scraps and carpets to make their swimwear.
On the face of it these raw materials don’t sound promising. However, skilful industrial alchemists in Italy have worked out how to turn them into the high-tech luxury yarn Kahm is using in its products. The interesting twist from an Irish perspective is that unwanted nets from Irish fishermen are already making their way into the company’s range with the volume expected to increase through Kahm’s partnership with the Healthy Seas not-for-profit organisation which collects the nets that go into the yarn.
“Right now, our swimwear is made mainly from waste taken from the seas around Europe, but very soon we hope to be able to say that even more waste from the Irish coast will be included. We have already been contacted by fishermen in Donegal who are keen to donate their end-of-life nets,” says Sally Anne Sherry who adds that the company donates 1 per cent of each purchase to the Healthy Seas initiative.
The sisters, who both swam competitively as youngsters, began working on their idea for Kahm during the lockdown. “I do a lot of swimming and was getting frustrated with the lack of choice in the Irish swimwear market, “Sherry says. “Áine had just moved back from Byron Bay in Australia and was raving about the sustainable life there and both of us really wanted to do something for our community in Donegal. These were the three elements that came together to form Kahm. We also both love Irish so we try to incorporate the language in our business and story. For example, our signature swimsuit is called the Éire and was inspired by Padraic Pearse’s poem Mise Éire.”
The company’s range comprises swimming shorts for men, a choice of long- and no-sleeve styles for women and bathing suits for children. The current focus is on one-pieces and particularly long-sleeved options for cold Irish waters, but bikinis and other styles will follow next year. “Our suits are twice as resistant to chlorine as ordinary fabrics and also UV resistant up to 50+. They are also very comfortable to wear and long-lasting,” Sherry says.
Sally Anne Sherry’s “day job” is as general counsel to, and a director of, property investment company Bartra, while Áine Boyle is a secondary school teacher and a lifeguard living in Donegal. Their company now employs two people directly and one contractor and its primary sales channel are online. About 70 per cent of its customers are in the greater Dublin area. For now, the swimwear is being made at an ethical facility in Bali (the swimwear capital of the world) but from next year production moves to the UK.
Start-up costs to date have been approximately €100,000 between personal investment and support from LEO Donegal. By the end of this year, a further €100,000 of their own money will have been invested and a fundraising round is planned for 2023.
The Kahm launch range was designed in-house but the sisters have ambitious plans to scale and grow their business internationally. For the 2023 season, they have retained the services of a London-based design consultancy which will work on the new collection and help refine the company’s supply chain to ensure end-to-end sustainability. Sherry has also recently completed a course in business sustainability at the University of Cambridge. “I already have the legal and business backgrounds, but I felt it was important to fill in the sustainability management piece given this is our strategic focus,” she says.
