When designer Amahlia Stevens launched Vitamin A Swimwear in 2000, she was ahead of the curve. Along with championing body positivity by introducing the concept of bikini separates that can be mixed and matched, she prioritized sustainable, local production after getting a crash course on Patagonia's processes through her work with the brand. Today, California-based Vitamin A sells 50% direct to consumer and 50% through its 200 wholesale channels, which include Holt Renfrew and Revolve.  Announced on Wednesday, Vitamin A was just acquired by Swim USA, a family-owned company that also counts Miraclesuit and Amoressa in its portfolio — its licensed brands include Polo Ralph Lauren and Reebok.  On the podcast, Stevens shares why the deal made sense for Vitamin A and how it will work to grow the "under-resourced" brand. She hinted that branded stores, international expansion and product collaborations are around the corner under the new ownership.

Elisabeth de Gramont has been chief brand officer at the Canadian sustainable apparel brand Frank and Oak for more than two years. In that time, under her leadership, the brand's become more transparent and more communicative about its sustainable efforts than ever. Just this year, Frank and Oak launched its first sustainability progress report, a 17-page document granting an inside look at the material impact of the brand’s production and the concrete steps it's taking to reduce that impact. The report was spearheaded by de Gramont herself, but it required the participation of almost every team at the company. “We felt confident about how our factories and how we were doing things,” de Gramont said. “But it’s important for us to then say, 'OK, can we actually quantify what we’re doing and what we’re working toward?' We talk a lot about material science, so this was our chance to actually show what percentage of our clothing is using those sustainable fibers and what we’d like it to be.” De Gramont joined the Glossy Podcast to talk more about how Frank and Oak communicates its sustainability goals to its audience and what related investments it's making now. For example, all of the brand's deliveries in Canada are currently being completed by electric vehicles.