THE BIRTH OF MARINE|O
Why an Aussie set out to make natural-fibre shorts with no plastic on your skin.
I spent nearly three years living in Airlie beach and working on boats around the Whitsundays, living in boardshorts every single day. I lived in boardshorts every single day, and every pair was polyester or nylon. Plastic, sitting on my skin, in the heat and saltwater, all day.
Then I learned how synthetic fabrics shed microplastics, tiny plastic fibres released every time they're worn and washed. Microplastics have since turned up in oceans, rivers, fish, and even human blood, and the clothes we wear are a major source. It really opened my eyes to this problem.
I looked for a natural alternative to boardshorts in Australia. Something that actually worked well in heat and water, didn't rely on synthetics, and wasn't a compromise. I couldn't find one.
So I decided to build it myself.
WHY MERINO WOOL?
After learning about the problems with synthetics fibres, I entered the rabbit hole of natural fabrics: cotton, linen, hemp, wool, plus a few others.
Here's what I discovered:
Merino wool, specifically Australian superfine merino, is one of the most technically advanced natural fibres on the planet. It regulates temperature in heat and cold, resists odour naturally, dries faster than most people expect, and biodegrades at end of life.
The fabric in MARINE|O's walkshorts uses OPTIM™ technology, a process that uses ultrafine merino wool, then uses water to constrict the fabric once its been woven to create a highly dense fabric that feels like boardshorts. I worked with The Woolmark Company to source this fabric, bringing it to a boardshort-inspired walkshort for the first time in Australia.
The result is a short that works harder than polyester, and doesn't cost the environment to do it.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Microplastics have been detected in human blood, in the deepest ocean trenches, in Antarctic ice, and in the food we eat. A significant and measurable source is synthetic textile fibres (polyester, nylon, and acrylic) in everyday clothing.
Australia is one of the highest per-capita consumers of fast fashion in the world. A high percentage of it synthetic, with most of it ending up in landfill or the ocean within a few years.
MARINE|O exists to prove there's a better way. That performance and natural materials aren't opposites. That you don't have to choose between a great product and a clean conscience.
WHAT IS MARINE|O
MARINE|O makes performance clothing from natural fibres, starting with Australia's best merino wool. Every product is designed for people who spend their lives in and around the water — and who give a damn about what their clothing is doing to it.
Our first product is the Merino Wool Walkshort. 100% Australian merino wool. Built for everyday wear, multiple days between washes, and a life that moves between beach, boat, and wherever the day takes you.
No synthetics touching your skin. No microplastic fibres shedding into every wash. Just a better short, made from a better material.
OUR GOAL
To build the best natural fibre performance clothing for people who live active, outdoor lives, and prove that what you wear doesn't have to cost your health, or the planet.
We started with the Merino Wool Walkshort, 100% Australian Merino wool. Built for everyday wear, multiple days between washes, and a life that moves between beach, boat, and wherever the day takes you. No synthetics touching your skin. No microplastic fibres shedding into every wash. Just a better short, made from a better material.
Every purchase is a step toward changing the industry. Fast fashion built on cheap synthetics has dominated for too long, filling landfills and oceans with waste that will outlive us all. We're backing a shift toward natural fabrics, proving performance and sustainability can live side by side.
This isn't just clothing. It's a movement.
WHAT'S NEXT
The walkshort is just the beginning. MARINE|O's mission is to replace plastic clothing with better natural alternatives. Better basics which last a lifetime rather than a season.
Follow the journey on Instagram @marineo_au.
OUR VALUES
Conscious by Design. Better for your body, better for the planet.
Natural by Choice. No synthetics, no microplastics.
Built for Movement. Comfort that works as hard as you do.
Real Over Trend. Creating pieces that last a lifetime.