Kampos with the 7Pines Resort Sardinia, in the name of respect and sustainability

Kampos, a high-end beachwear brand totally made in Italy and B Corp certified, elected in 2022 among the best sustainable companies in the world, presented its exclusive partnership with the 7Pines Resort Sardinia. The collaboration between the two companies was born in the name of their common values, first of all respect for the environment, and gives life to a capsule collection and the opening of a store, furnished with unique marine details and recovered natural materials – woods, peaks – which offers all the brand’s best sellers in the heart of the splendid resort. A partnership that unites two companies that operate in the world of luxury, interpreting the concept of luxury with a new, different, fun soul but anchored to values ​​and principles.

The location that welcomes FashionNetwork.com for the presentation of this new project is a breathtaking oasis, facing the islands of the La Maddalena archipelago: The 7Pines Resort Sardinia – part of Destination by Hyatt – is spread over a 15-hectare promontory of Mediterranean scrub overlooking the sea and, in addition to a large main beach, it also offers the possibility of relaxing on four other delightful secluded coves, from which you can enjoy breathtaking sunsets. A resort that is not only striking for the refinement of every detail, but also for the respect and valorization of the surrounding area with which it integrates perfectly, with a masterly fusion of architecture and nature and with the aim of making guests discover all the beauties of this paradisiacal corner of Sardinia. Doing the honors are Vito Spalluto, director of the resort and the entrepreneur Alessandro Vergano who, in 2019, founded Kampos. FashionNetwork.com conversed with them in a dream setting, perfect for highlighting a product created for the sea and from the sea, considering that Kampos’ swimsuits are made by recycling plastic bottles and recovered fishing nets at sea or on the beaches.

FashionNetwork.com: Doctor Vergano, how did you get the idea to create Kampos?
Alessandro Vergano: “For years I have been a manager in important companies in different fields, from P&G to Swarowski and, at a certain point, I felt the desire to create my own project, which could bring value, and here was the launch of Kampos (hippocampus, from the Greek ed.). The brand was born from the need to create a line of beautiful and functional swimsuits, which could also match the idea of ​​an ethical project that I had in mind: I was looking for a personal way to have a positive impact on the environment . So I not only decided what kind of product to put at the center of the brand, but also how it should be made. I chose to use Newlife yarn, which comes from the transformation of plastic bottles (which are divided by colour, washed, cleaned of glue and labels, mechanically transformed into chips, then into a sort of paste and subsequently into yarn): this polymer it gives life to a soft, water-repellent and resistant (and expensive!) fabric that we transfer print, being very careful to have a minimal environmental impact, for example on water consumption, even in this step. We reduce waste to almost nothing thanks to the optimization of adult/children’s paper patterns; furthermore, our costumes are entirely recycled and recyclable in turn, as we underline on the label, and present excellent performance in terms of resistance, elasticity and color persistence.

FNW: Where do you make the Kampos collections?
AV: “The raw material we use for the fabrics is of Italian origin: the plastic bottles (7 bottles are needed for each size M costume for men, ed.) and the fishing nets (used to create the regenerated nylon Econyl, with consumption ranging from 80 grams to 120 grams for a women’s swimsuit, based on size) come from our seas and coasts. Even the packaging part takes place entirely in Italy, as does the printing. The beating heart of Kampos is Sardinia: we are based in Porto Rotondo and this is where our inspiration comes from, this is where we design and this is where many of our operational and logistical activities take place; the collaboration with 7Pines is also a sort of celebration of our connection with this land.

FN: You created a capsule for 7Pines, can you describe it to us?
AV: The idea of ​​collaborating was born from a shared passion for sustainability and protection of the sea and the result is a limited collection of swimwear for men, women and children with an all-over print of the seahorse Kio, mascot of the 7Pines Kids Club and a more playful version of the brand’s logo, the hippocampus. The drawing was handmade by the Sardinian artist Claudia Filigheddu and subsequently digitized and composed in a high-impact all-over on the garments, also taken up on the walls of our store inside the Resort. The capsule will also be available online and in some selected stores of the brand, in Porto Cervo, Olbia and Costa Smeralda.

FNW: What are the next steps at a distribution level and the objectives in terms of turnover?
AV: From the first moment I put retail development at the centre, I believe it is fundamental for a brand like ours, and I must confess that the pandemic has allowed us to open in exclusive locations that would have been unattainable at another time. Today Kampos has Italy as its main market, but we are also present abroad, with around twenty single-brand stores in exclusive seaside locations such as Porto Cervo, Forte dei Marmi, Santa Margherita Ligure, Porto Rotondo, San Pantaleo, Alassio, Ibiza, Maldives, South Korea and we are also growing in wholesale distribution and through our e-commerce. This year we focused on the collaboration with 7Pines by opening two stores with them: this one in Baja Sardinia and one in the Ibiza Resort. We are also evaluating new openings in cities because, until now, the focus has been on seaside resorts. We closed 2022 with a turnover of 1.2 million euros, more than doubled compared to 2021. We expect to exceed 2.5 million in 2023, with 75% Italy and 35% abroad. Approximately 60% of sales are represented by swimsuits, but the entire world of out of water (30%) and accessories (10%) performs better and better.

Vito Spalluto, Managing Director of 7Pines Resort Sardinia proudly underlines the importance and continuity of this new collaboration: “We are thrilled to welcome sustainable fashion from Kampos to 7Pines. A collaboration born from a common value, that of protecting the environment and our seas. We are sure that our guests will greatly appreciate this innovation, which also has an educational function. 7Pines is a brand part of a very important group, very active in real estate development but with extreme attention to the territory (starting from the choice of native materials) and sustainability (including the choices of renewable energy). We have a dozen 7Pines Resort openings planned in the medium term in locations that can undoubtedly be defined as trendy and glamorous (in Italy and beyond) without ever forgetting our hospitality philosophy based on the concept of laid-back luxury, a “relaxed luxury” . Our group takes over existing structures and transforms them according to very rigorous principles: beauty and respect for the environment always come first.” The manager adds: “Nothing is random in our work and we always look ahead; the seahorse Kio is also the mascot of our Kids Club and today the protagonist of this collection created together. Now that we have celebrated this ‘wedding’, there will be a Kampos store in all our resorts.”