Shunning the sun is cooler than ever

 

Not to sound like a high school administrator desperate to enforce the dress code, but sometimes showing less skin—not more—is actually the coolest thing you can do. Just ask the fashion-forward trendsetters increasingly skipping skimpy clothing in favor of something even hotter this summer: UV protection.

Massive cover-up

Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) clothing is on a hot streak. The trend was on display when actress Anne Hathaway donned a full-body swimsuit on vacation and Kendall Jenner was spotted in a UV-blocking dress.

Do the clothes actually work? According to dermatologists, yes. UPF clothing can help prevent sunburn, slow down the aging process, and protect against skin cancer.

According to CNN, they’re not just popular with celebrities:

• UV apparel at US activewear brands was up 12% year-over-year in May, the retail firm EDITED found.
• This year, 34% of full-price UPF items have sold out—up 11.4 percentage points from last year, per consumer trend forecaster WGSN.
• Google searches for “UV shirt” are up 26% from last year, fashion firm Trendalytics said.

Sun protection rises from the East: The concept has long been popular in East Asia. According to Bloomberg, Japan’s largest clothing company Fast Retailing, which owns Uniqlo, introduced a full collection of UV-protective clothing back in 2011. And the company said demand for the products is now growing in Europe and the US.—BC