It turns out that men have been able to jump into the water in quick-drying shorts, then pass out and do their walk or ride a motorcycle without shame. But women haven’t had the same high-tech characteristics, until now. Enter Emily McAllister, who was tired of having to replace behind a tree for her outdoor adventures, so she spent two years trying out this functional and flexible hybrid bikini in fast-drying, recycled and eco-friendly fabric. It is a technical jumpsuit with vintage silhouette that stays safe in all recreational situations.
But the component is that it dries in less than 15 minutes, allowing you to get up without having to locate a personal position to reposition yourself in dry clothes.
Made from RecoTex ™, an eco-friendly recycled fabric made of 91% polyester for post-consumer water bottles and 9% elastane with a durable end and a thin, quick-drying bra lining. The technical features come with a sewn foam lining (inspired by ballet clothing) and full-coverage shorts with adjustable belt (influenced by short models of mountain motorcycles). There is also an adjustable strap with a flat closure, a pocket with key fobs and a back pocket with buttons.
Before releasing the last edition of the suit, McAllister tested the prototype in each and every situation. She says: “I’ve been touring parts of Pacific Crest Trail through the Wild Desolation, I’ve taken part in an annual women-only vacation to beautiful Lake Dardanelles in South Lake Tahoe, mountain biking on Tahoe Rim Trail, water skiing, rowing and canoeing on Lake Tahoe, jumped from the cliffs and rocks of DL Bliss State Park to the lake and kayaked on the Truckee River. I’ve been using prototypes long enough now that I’ve used them for a new one-year Polar Bear Diving in 2019 and 2020, and jumped into the lake for dry weather testing more times than I’ve followed.
Last summer, she and her husband went on their honeymoon to Bali, so she took a set of prototypes to use while surfing and on secluded beaches.
She says: “Not counting the first pirated prototypes made with men’s bath shorts, I tried out thirteen other fabrics before deciding on a transparent favorite to order enough footage for a first set of prototypes. This ended up being exactly what I was looking for, and additional prototyping cycles focused on the design of this specific fabric. It is less elastic than the classic suit fabric, allowing for faster drying time, so it took some design decisions to paint, such as a top clasp instead of anything you can stretch out and pull your head.
McAllister chose the so-called Junipers for its logo not only because it is surrounded by the beautiful trees of Tahoe Basin. She said: “I was encouraged to be informed that junipers thrive in an excessive diversity of environments, from the formation of one of the world’s highest forest barriers in Himalayan diversity above 15,000 feet to Death Valley in Southern California. It is his physically powerful adaptability that encouraged me to give his call to the swimwear line. I hope that women who use junipers will be able to take any adventure, anywhere in the world. Besides, it’s a laugh to say, “Let me throw away my junipers and I’ll track you there.”
Juniperes will be manufactured in St. Paul, Minnesota, at a women-owned plant called Clothier Design Source, which exceeds all standards of moral production. McAllister says they are also taking each and every precaution to create a COVID-19 safe environment and have loyalized much of their floors to EPI manufacturing this summer. The home partners are Clothier Design Source and Sportek Fabric, founded in Commerce, California.
Junipers Kickstarters were fully funded in the blink of an eye, but you can still enjoy the smart vibes and a reduction in the first mix shipments ($139 for the two-piece set).
What is McCallister’s long-term vision of the company? “I would love to offer a more inclusive diversity of sizes so that anyone who loves the outdoors has a choice in Junipers,” he says. “As the founder of solo bootstrap, I’ve only been able to design and test a set of XS-XL sizes in the field so far, but my vision is to significantly enlarge it with sufficient backgrounds. Additional blending and color scheme features are also part of this vision. One thing that has been vital to me is to incorporate the comments of women who are outdoors all the time, preparing their own crazy adventures. Since launch, I’ve spoken to local climbers, women who paint in Alaska on advertising fishing boats and young mothers in coastal cities. I enjoyed listening to their expanded style concepts that have compatibility with their needs, such as a request for a more sensitive tankini or shorts with a longer crotch that is even more suitable for there is a massive change in outdoor women’s clothing to functional and sustainable pieces, and I hope Junipers can pave the way for the definition of this entirely new category.
Kim Westerman covers luxury and family-friendly trips, gourmet destinations, wine and coffee trends and other hedonistic adventures. Find her in @throughtraveler.