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care + repair request form

"I'VE WORN AND LOVED MY SUIT, CAN YOU FIX IT?"

WE TAKE IMMENSE PRIDE IN THE GARMENTS WE PRODUCE - AND WE HOPE YOU DO TOO! EACH GARMENT WE MAKE AT MALIA MILLS IS SEWN BY AN INCREDIBLE GROUP OF PEOPLE FROM MATERIALS CREATED FOR US BY THE VERY BEST MILLS IN THE WORLD. OUR MASTER CUTTER FRANK WAS WITH MALIA MILLS FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND CUT EVERY INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT FOR EVERY SINGLE SWIMSUIT. HIS PROTOGEE DAVID NOW CUTS FOR US. SARA, OWNER OF HER FAMILY-OWNED, FEMALE OPERATED FACTORY, NURTURES HER TEAM WHO METICULOUSLY SEWS EACH PIECE, TURNBACK, STRAP AND TOPSTITCHES EVERY ZIG-ZAG. JOANNA, SEETA, ERICA AND THEIR TEAMS PRODUCE OUR READY TO WEAR IN SMALL BATCHES WITH IMMENSE CARE. OUR GARMENTS ARE TRULY A LABOR OF LOVE!

DESPITE EXTRAORDINARY ATTENTION TO DETAIL, STITCHES MAY BREAK, A HEM MAY COME UNDONE, A BUTTON MAY COME LOOSE. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL REFLECTION OF THE HUMANITY BEHIND EACH PIECE WE MAKE. THE MATERIALS WE SOURCE FOR OUR SWIM HAVE BEEN TESTED BY THE EXPERTS WHO MAKE THEM BUT EVEN THESE WILL NOT LAST FOREVER. A WOODEN RING MIGHT CRACK, A HOOK MIGHT BREAK. OVER TIME, FABRIC WILL SHOW SIGNS OF WEAR AND LOVE. FROM SALTWATER TO CHLORINE TO LOTIONS AND SUNSCREEN, SWIM IS EXPOSED TO ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT WILL TAKE THEIR TOLL ON FABRICS AND NOTIONS.

WE WANT EVERYONE TO HAVE A REASONABLE EXPECTATION FOR THE LIFESPAN OF THEIR SWIM. 

WE TAKE EXTRA PRIDE IN MAKING SWIM THAT LASTS A CRAZY LONG TIME, MANY ARE HANDED DOWN FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT! AS @SINQUEE POSTED ABOUT A 23 YEAR OLD MM STYLE: "THERE ARE MANY MIRACLES OUT THERE. THIS ONE IS THE BIKINI MIRACLE. @MALIAMILLSNYC BOTTOMS. NO OTHER SUIT CAN CLAIM THIS KIND OF ELASTICITY. I WISH I COULD INJECT IT IN MY FACE." BUT! WE DON'T GUARANTEE OUR SWIM WILL LAST FOREVER, IT WON'T. EVEN A SUIT SITTING IN A DRAWER WILL SLOWLY DEGRADE OVER TIME - HEAT, MOISTURE, DUST AND MORE - THESE THINGS ALL TAKE THEIR TOLL - ESPECIALLY ON ELASTIC.

THE PROMISES WE MAKE:

WE PROMISE TO WORK WITH HUSTLE AND HEART TO CREATE STYLES THAT WILL LOOK AND FEEL GORGEOUS FOR MANY SEASONS. KIND OF LIKE THE 6 MONTHS OR 60,000 MILES WARRANTY FOR A CAR - THE MORE YOU WEAR A GARMENT, THE MORE YOU EXPOSE IT TO THE ELEMENTS, THE SOONER IT WILL WEAR OUT.

WE PROMISE TO BE REASONABLE IN OUR ASSESSMENT OF WHAT MIGHT BE REPAIRED. IF A SUIT HAS BEEN WORN AND LOVED FOR NUMEROUS YEARS WE WILL ENCOURAGE YOU TO RETIRE IT, RATHER THAN TRY A REPAIR THAT WON'T YIELD GREAT RESULTS.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO REPAIR MY SUIT?

REPAIRS TAKE FROM 2 - 5 WEEKS. WE DO ALL OF OUR REPAIRS IN OUR STUDIO/ATELIER IN NEW YORK CITY. (IF YOU HAVE A RUSH PLEASE REACH OUT TO ONLINEORDERS@MALIAMILLS.COM TO SEE IF WE CAN GET IT DONE FASTER.)

 

 

TIPS TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR SWIM:

WE HAVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH OUR SUITS AND HAVE AMASSED AN INCREDIBLE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT WILL DEGRADE FABRIC AND THE NOTIONS MORE QUICKLY. OUR SWIM FABRICS ARE SOURCED FROM SOME OF THE VERY BEST MILLS SPECIFICALLY CREATING FABRIC TO STAND UP AGAINST EVERYTHING WE PUT OUR SWIMWEAR THROUGH. SWIMWEAR NEEDS TO PERFORM WET AND DRY, STRETCHED AND RELAXED, IN CHLORINE AND SALT, AND MAINTAIN THE SHAPE AND FIT YOU LOVE - IT'S A LOT TO ASK OF A GARMENT! HERE ARE SOME OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR SWIM:

 

  • AVOID EXCESSIVE CHLORINE -- THAT CAN COME FROM A HOT TUB (OOF, HOT TUBS! HEAT + CHLORINE + BROMINE = FABRIC NIGHTMARE) OR A POOL THAT WAS RECENTLY SHOCKED. ELASTANE IS A MIRACLE FIBER, BUT CHLORINE AND CHEMICALS EAT AWAY AT THE FIBERS WHICH CAN CAUSE THEM TO BREAK DOWN, THEREBY LOSING THE ABILITY TO STRETCH AND RECOVER. WE RUN EXTENSIVE TESTING ON OUR FABRIC TO ENSURE THAT IT IS UP TO PAR WHEN IT COMES TO CHLORINE AND CHEMICAL PREPAREDNESS, BUT WE CAN'T CONTROL FOR THE LEVEL OF CHLORINE IN POOLS AND HOT TUBS.  
  • AVOID HARSH DETERGENTS -- SIMILAR TO THE CHLORINE SITUATION ABOVE, WE FIND THAT HARSH DETERGENTS DO REAL DAMAGE TO ELASTANE FIBERS. BEST TO STICK WITH A VERY GENTLE SOAP -- ANYTHING YOU USE ON YOUR SKIN (AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY OIL MOISTURIZING ADDITIVES WHICH BIND TO AND COAT FIBERS) IS A-OKAY TO USE ON YOUR SUITS.
  • WASH BY HAND -- EVERY TIME. EVEN IF YOU DON'T SWIM, THERE ARE STILL BODY OILS, LOTIONS AND SUNSCREEN (AND MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT 3PM MARGARITA) ON YOUR SUIT. RINSE IT EVERY TIME (WE SOAP UP IN THE SHOWER OR TOSS IT IN THE SINK FOR A SOAK. BUT DEFINITELY DON'T TOSS SWIM IN THE WASHER/DRYER WHERE AGITATION AND HEAT WILL TAKE THEIR TOLL.
  • AVOID ROUGH SURFACES TO KEEP THE FABRIC LOOKING PRISTINE. ROCK WALLS AND CONCRETE WILL SNAG THE DELICATE FIBERS - IN THE INDUSTRY THIS IS CALLED "POOL ABRASION."
  • REMOVE YOUR STRAPS FROM THE LOOPS WHEN YOU ARE WASHING/LAYING YOUR SUIT FLAT TO DRY. OTHERWISE, THE CHLORINE AND SALT SITS IN THE LITTLE STRAP LOOP AND JUST EATS AWAY AT THE METAL.
  • ALTERNATE YOUR SUITS! THE FABRIC TAKES TIME TO RELAX AND RECOVER AFTER BEING WORN. BEST TO ALTERNATE YOUR SWIM TO GIVE THE FIBERS SOME TIME TO CHILL OUT.
  • DRY FLAT -- HANGING YOUR SUIT TO DRY MEANS THAT THE WATER DRAGS DOWN THE FABRIC, ADDING WEIGHT AND TENSION TO THE FIBERS SO TO EASE UP ON THE STRESS BE SURE TO LAY FLAT TO DRY.
  • DRY IN THE SHADE -- JUST LIKE YOUR SKIN, FABRIC FEELS THE EFFECT OF SUN DAMAGE -- THE MORE A FABRIC BAKES IN THE SUN, THE MORE IT WILL FADE.
  • CAREFUL WITH SUNSCREEN! THE BEST PLAY IS TO SLATHER ON SPF, LET IT SOAK IN, AND THEN SUIT UP. IF YOU'RE REAPPLYING, TRY TO AVOID GETTING IT ON YOUR SWIMWEAR. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF WITH SUNSCREEN THAT IS STUBBORNLY ON YOUR SUIT, SOAKING IT WITH A LITTLE DAWN DISH DETERGENT USUALLY DOES THE TRICK.

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