Designs crafted to celebrate the healing power of the ocean!
Liquid Therapy,
our brand partner design of the week!
A sustainably made design that is very close to our hearts here at OCEANR.
We had a wonderful catch-up with Tom Losey, founder of Liquid Therapy a few weeks ago in celebration of World Ocean Month.
Liquid Therapy is a multi-award-winning charity based in Donegal, Ireland which provides inclusive and adaptive surf therapy programmes.
The company was created in 2011 to provide one-to-one support for young people who wished to experience surfing but were unable to participate in mainstream opportunities. Their hard work and dedication allowed the team in Liquid Therapy to evolve from a small, community-based, volunteer-run group to a Registered Charity with a national remit. We would like to shout from the rooftops regarding this incredible achievement.
Last year, the group opened the first Inclusive Surf Centre in the country, at Rossnowlagh Beach in Donegal. Our team in OCEANR is hoping to take a little summer trip up there to catch a sneak peek of the beautiful center soon!
The story behind Liquid Therapy in three words
“To me, 3 words sum up Liquid Therapy
Inclusion: Providing equal and supportive access to the water
Fun: Something we can often overlook
Family: A tribe and sense of belonging”- Tom Losey, Founder of Liquid Therapy
A design collaboration to protect the only ocean we have
At OCEANR, we are on a mission to reclaim the oceans by removing as much plastic waste as we can and recycling it into something new. Along with the help of our ocean-loving brand partners, we want to inspire and enable others to live more eco-conscious lives both on and off the water.
Our designer Ana created a bespoke, sustainable clothing range for Liquid Therapy committed to removing plastic from the ocean and reclaiming post-consumer waste from our environment.
We use recycled polyester in our custom rashguards and boardshorts, which is an eco-fabric derived from post-consumer waste. Recycled polyester can be recycled again, which is why this material is highly valued in the circular economy!
Most of the recycled polyester we use is made out of recycled plastic water bottles these bottles are recycled with a mechanical process that first transforms them into flakes and pellets, which are then spun into high-quality yarn. Depending on the type of garment we normally use 80-90% recycled polyester, and if the garment needs more stretch e.g. one of our rash vests, we will make up the other 10-20% with elastane.
We use 85% recycled polyester in our rashies and add a little elastane for added comfort and stretch, each Liquid Therapy designed rash guard prevents 12 plastic bottles from entering the environment whilst each board short prevents 6 plastic bottles from entering the eco-system!
Tom noted that “What we’re seeing is kids that participate who live far from the coast, have no idea that their actions impact the ocean. They don’t understand that the rubbish they throw away can end up in the ocean and only see the impact when they come to us.
Thus we are delighted that our sustainable clothing collaboration can become part of the solution! Our total combined clothing collection prevented 546 plastic bottles from entering the ecosystem.
Shining a light on all things orange!
Ana created a bespoke range of rashvests in verious colours with utterly gorgeous turtle designs to appeal to every age group.
We would like to shine a light on our one of a kind orange rash vest which was especially designed to stand out in the ocean for those with visual impairments. Just another thing to ensure their surfers felt safe and supported in the water. Check out the utterly unique design below!
The impact that the ocean has on the people who come to Liquid Therapy?
“That moment of calm, happiness, and positivity for the young people and the families we serve. This can be hard to come by for them on a day-to-day basis, sometimes they are just surviving. Our programmes give them what we call “the ripple effect”. They experience the impact on the day, the afterglow the day after the surf session, and look forward to the next one; the ocean provides positive moments that help families through their challenges.”
We absolutely loved this touching anecdote regarding the healing power of the ocean, we hope you do too! Ana hand-drew little baby turtles to appeal to the quirky and fun-natured element to the charity, crafted to appeal to any age! We then used eco-friendly printing methods to apply the design to the apparel range.
For Tom and his friends in Liquid Therapy, the future health of our oceans is of utmost importance. He notes, “We have to come together to provide education to people in order to protect it; we only have one!” Thus, we are delighted to celebrate that our uniform collaboration removed 51 Kilos of ocean waste from the Mediterranean Ocean through our partnership with Enaleia.
This is a fantastic NGO that supports fisheries in the Big Mediterranean Clean Up. We support their work on the frontline of ocean conservancy, they fish for plastic and remove it, to help create a safe environment for marine life. For each of our core products, we fund Enaleia to remove one kilo of ocean waste. Together, we are all working towards rewriting the future health of our oceans.
Eco-friendly clothing with a purpose
We are thrilled that our clothing is used to protect the organizers of these fantastic programmes. Our rashguards contain SPF50+ to protect you both in and out of the water, whilst also containing elastane to make them super stretchy for any surfing experience!
We love hearing about the incredible initiatives that our brand partners run, take a sneak peek at the two fascinating programmes that Liquid Therapy Run below.
“We run 2 main programmes at Liquid Therapy. One is The Surf Experience, an entry point for any young person with a diagnosis or undergoing challenges. This is one-to-one tailored support from building sandcastles to surfing – providing an opportunity to experience the ocean environment.
The second one is A Drop In The Ocean (ADITO) our mental well-being programme. This programme was born during covid, seeing a worrying pattern of mental health issues. 1 in 3 people have trouble with mental health but if you have a diagnosis this statistic goes up to 2 out of 3; there’s a stark difference there. This 8-session programme brings together the physical, social & well-being benefits of the ocean and provides a strong platform for education and learning.”- Tom Losey, Founder of Liquid Therapy.
Designed to become part of the solution
We’ve always believed that our greatest impact will not be just what we do, but how much – through our words and actions – we can influence individuals and organisations to take on that sustainable journey and in turn, influence others to do the same.
A ripple effect for positive action to restore ecosystems and the health of our beautiful oceans.
To see more of our creatively crafted designs committed to ocean conservancy, please visit the catalogue below- we promise they won’t disappoint..!
Supporting our brand partners’ green initiatives
We offer our expertise in sustainable apparel and product design to help you contribute to a better future and appeal to the eco-conscious consumer . Working closely with you, we will create mood boards and a range of design options that best represent your brand’s essence. Leveraging our skilled in-house team gives you access to a breadth of product development experience from idea generation to concept development, prototyping and launch. We can also work together to enhance your sustainability profile via Case Studies, Press Releases, Social Media promotion and more. Get in contact to learn more!
