Linda Loudermilk is making a major splash in the sustainable swimwear scene. The eco fashion designer premiered two compostable swimsuits at Miami Swim 2012 Fashion Week‘s first-ever sustainable swimwear show.

Though Loudermilk has been a long-time TreeHugger favorite — she’s impressed us with Loudermilk Men, a hand-tailored Luxury Eco line, a denim collection, and in 2005 we named her one of the Best Sustainable Designers — but her swimwear fails in comparison to what we’ve seen in the past.

Made with plant starch, the compostable swimwear will, according to Loudermilk, completely decompose under soil within 180 days. The swimwear is a win in innovative materials, but the suits lack in design and in functionality.

The barely-there suit with bikini bottoms bearing nude ties is sexy, but it should not leave Miami. The other suit offers an ill-fitting top paired with a promising pair of functional bottoms that at least look like they could survive some waves.

Though Loudermilk stole the poolside-runway show at the Setai Hotel on July 15, Haute Natured also showed swimwear by Eco Swim, Meadow and Mae Couture. The designers worked with sustainable materials such as recycled plastic bottles, upcycled factory scraps of cotton and nylon and repurposed material such as military parachutes to create their suits for summer 2012. The event, which drew more than 1,000 guests, benefited the International Seakeepers Society and their work in marine research and ocean conservation.

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