Turn the Tide

Turn the Tide a movement created by Merci Surf

to help people in need.

Oceanview is a small community in western Cape south Africa. Ironically named ocean view since its inhabitants were forcibly removed from their ocean front homes which had been classified a 'white only' area, and transferred to this inland township during the Apartheid Era in the 60s. Oceanview is largely populated by 'coloreds' a people group in South Africa that identify as being neither white nor black, and have been largely marginalized throughout south africas history.

This community is plagued by extreme poverty and wide spread unemployment, this has led to the area being over run with gangs, drug addiction and prostitution. The local Children are not spared from the violence, often getting caught in the gang cross fire. Children as young as 8 years old are already addicted to drugs and running with gangs.

We feel there is a desperate need to help the Oceanview community and others like it. We have partnered with a Cape Town native who runs a feeding program in Oceanview, that provides meals for 150-200 people, as well as mentoring a group of local youth, helping to guide them through life, stay out of gangs and create a better future for themselves and their families

50% of Merci Surf profits are donated to help Turn the Tide for Oceanview

and other disadvantaged communities.

Hi! Tarryn here,

Owner and designer of Merci Surf.

We are a small family-run business located in sunny West Palm Beach, Florida. Committed to making fashion without harming our beautiful blue planet or the people who live on it.

When buying swimwear I always ask myself 3 questions:

1. Is it ethical?

2. Is it environmentally friendly?

3. Can I surf in it without flashing the fish?

Surprisingly, such swimwear was not so easy to find, so I created Merci Surf with the goal of always ticking those boxes and a hope to play a part in steering fashion towards this new horizon.

Come on this journey with us, the water's great!

Social & Environmental Responsibility

Social Responsibility: Merci Surf is committed to being 100% sweat shop free. Our products are produced in factories that undergo independent auditing, ensuring staff have safe working conditions and are being paid a fair wage.

Environmental Responsibility: Merci Surf was created with sustainability in mind. All of our products are made using sustainable materials, either entirely or partially. We're about the whole package here and that includes our packaging; Which is always: biodegradable, made of post consumer recycled materials, or recyclable.

Slow fashion: The industry standard is to have a large inventory of clothing and throw out last season's lines, this leads to a large percentage of the world's clothing ending up in landfills without ever being worn. We stand against such waste by producing our products in small batches, and select products are made to order, where we don't start cutting andsewing until your order is placed. This allows us to produce high quality clothing with the planet and people in mind. For more information on how our products are made please refer to the individual product descriptions.

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