Walk down any beach in the world and you'll spot the same pattern: sunglasses, boardies, maybe a bucket hat if you're lucky, and then nothing. The top half of the body, arguably the part that copping the most sun exposure, has been left to fend for itself.
Monocle's Asia editor James Chambers put this well in a recent piece. His argument: summer menswear collections are obsessed with eyewear and swim shorts, while sun-safe tops are treated as an afterthought, something to be hidden under a wetsuit rather than worn with intention. A handful of global surf and resort labels have dipped a toe in with rashguards, but compared to the hundreds of swim short styles on offer each season, it's barely a footnote.
The trend has already landed in Asia
Chambers makes a point that anyone who's spent time on beaches from Busan to Bali will recognise, sun avoidance isn't a niche habit in Asia, it's the norm. Parasols on street corners, wide-brimmed visors, long sleeves in 35-degree heat: covering up isn't seen as overly cautious, it's just smart. Kids wear rash vests and sun hats as a matter of course. Adults are increasingly following suit.
Australia has always understood sun safety at a cultural level, SPF, hats, "Slip Slop Slap" was drilled into most of us before we could swim. But when it comes to apparel designed specifically for a day at the beach, the same gap Chambers identifies in global fashion shows up here too. Great sun shirts. Great hats. Not nearly enough thought going into what people actually want to wear in and around the water.
Why now
A few things are converging at once:
- Sun damage is finally being treated as a style problem, not just a health one. UPF-rated fabric is starting to matter to designers, not just dermatologists.
- Function is becoming the flex. Covering up isn't hiding a dad bod anymore, plenty of very fit men are doing it too, because reapplying sunscreen every 40 minutes while trying to enjoy a day at the beach is nobody's idea of a good time.
- Sustainability is part of the conversation. A well-made rash vest that lasts years beats a wardrobe of sunscreen-stained linen shirts and cotton tees that were never built for salt water in the first place.
What we're building
At Sun Ray, we've spent the past few years obsessing over UPF 50+ hats and sun shirts built for actual outdoor use, not just the label promising protection, but fabric that performs, breathes, and looks like something you'd choose to wear, not something you're forced into.
The next step is an obvious one, and it's coming: men's and women's rashies (rash vests) designed the same way. UPF 50+ protection, built for movement in the water, cut so it doesn't look like beach medical equipment. Something you'd actually want to be photographed in, not just tolerated.
Chambers ends his piece with a line worth sitting with: spare a thought, and some fabric, for the rest of us. We think that's about right. More on this soon.
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