From Fashion Design to Environmental Innovation
Founded by Renay Wells, Yearn Swell brings together decades of hands-on fashion industry experience, entrepreneurship, environmental research and engineering principles to address complex industrial wastewater challenges.
Our approach is grounded in the belief that industrial wastewater should not simply be treated as waste, but recognised as a potential source of recoverable water and resources.
Through research, innovation and collaboration, Yearn Swell is developing modular treatment technologies designed to support pollution prevention, advanced wastewater treatment, resource recovery and fit-for-purpose water reuse.
Our ambition is to help industrial manufacturers transition towards more circular, resource-efficient production systems while protecting the ecosystems on which communities and industries depend.
Our founder
Renay Wells
From Fashion Design to Environmental Innovation
Renay Wells is an Australian entrepreneur, fashion industry professional, environmental researcher and innovator whose career spans three decades of textile and apparel industry experience, international manufacturing, business development and environmental research.
Her journey began in 1996, working within the buying office at City Beach's head office in Australia. This early exposure to retail buying, merchandising, inventory management and supply chains established the foundations of her understanding of the global fashion industry.
In 2001, Renay commenced a Diploma of Textiles, Clothing and Footwear, graduating in 2003 before progressing into professional swimwear and surfwear design and development.
By 2004, her career had expanded into offshore product development, international sourcing and global industry trade shows. Her subsequent roles included swimwear design at JETS Swimwear and Head of Ladieswear Design at Cult Industries, developing her expertise across garment construction, textile materials, production systems and international manufacturing.
International Manufacturing & Entrepreneurship
In 2007, Renay joined Australian surfwear brand Hot Tuna, working across global design, sourcing and production operations. In October of that year, she relocated to Shanghai, China, gaining extensive first-hand experience within international manufacturing environments.
Her responsibilities included managing offshore product development, coordinating production, assessing manufacturing capabilities and conducting factory audits to evaluate quality and compliance.
Across her career, Renay's international sourcing and manufacturing experience has extended throughout China, Fiji, India, Turkey, Peru, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, the United States, Mexico and Australia.
This extensive industry exposure provided more than an understanding of fashion design. It established a practical appreciation of the commercial, operational, environmental and supply-chain challenges associated with global textile production.
In 2010, Renay founded Maneater Swimwear, later evolving the brand into Miss Maneater Swimwear
As a designer, brand founder and business owner, she experienced the complexities of product development, offshore sourcing, production management and international supply chains from both a creative and commercial perspective.
From Industry Experience to Environmental Research
In 2018, Renay returned to Griffith University, initially seeking to strengthen her business consulting expertise through formal studies in entrepreneurship and international business.
Her academic interests increasingly turned towards the environmental and social impacts of global textile manufacturing.
Studies in international and Asian business, sustainability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals helped shape a growing interest in responsible manufacturing, cleaner production and industry transformation.
Following completion of her Bachelor of Business, Renay progressed to a Master of Business Administration, extending her research into the intersection of business strategy, sustainability, innovation and global textile supply chains.
In 2022, she repositioned her professional identity as the Fashion Impact Specialist, reflecting her evolving focus on the environmental impacts of the fashion industry and the practical opportunities for industry improvement.
During her MBA, particularly through Innovation for Impact in 2023, her longstanding concerns about microfibre particle pollution developed into a more focused research direction.
Her studies across political, legal and governance frameworks, policy advice, innovation, cleaner production and circular economy principles reinforced an important realisation:
Meaningful environmental improvements in textile manufacturing must begin upstream, within the production systems themselves.
From Environmental Research to Engineering Innovation
Determined to develop a deeper scientific and technical understanding of industrial pollution, Renay undertook a Master of Environment at Griffith University, completed in 2026.
Her postgraduate studies encompassed environmental management systems, environmental pollution, research methods, organisational change, environmental water economics, and water and wastewater treatment.
This research progressively focused on the relationship between textile manufacturing, microfibre pollution, persistent chemical contaminants and the opportunities for circular water management.
In July 2026, Renay commenced a Master of Environmental Engineering, undertaking advanced studies in industrial water and wastewater treatment.
Her research interests include microfibre pollution prevention, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), advanced treatment technologies, contaminant management, resource recovery and fit-for-purpose industrial water reuse.
The Foundation of Yearn Swell
Yearn Swell represents the convergence of Renay's extensive international manufacturing experience, entrepreneurial background and evolving environmental engineering research.
Drawing upon decades of direct engagement with textile production systems, she recognised an opportunity to move beyond conventional wastewater management towards solutions that prevent pollution, recover resources and support circular manufacturing.
In August 2026, Renay joined EnergyLab's Investment Ready Program, Cohort 5, to advance the commercial development of Yearn Swell's emerging environmental technologies.
Through Yearn Swell, she is translating practical industry knowledge and academic research into the development of modular circular water treatment solutions, initially targeting the complex wastewater challenges of textile manufacturing.
Her ambition is to help transform industrial wastewater from a costly waste stream into a recoverable resource, supporting cleaner production, responsible manufacturing and a more circular industrial future.
Professional Links
Fashion Brand Developer | Fashion Impact Specialist | Research Publications & ORCID