Choosing the right UV protective clothing can be hard in the sea of trillions of clothing out there. Not every clothing has high UPF rating and decision making can be confusing. One of the most frequently asked questions is, what makes your clothing UV protective when others are not? Our answer is simple and assuring, our fabric goes through special process of UV treatment to create UV protective and also breathable quality clothing.

Today, we will share an insight on how to choose the right sun safe apparel and how we offer the protection that you can trust.

What is UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor)?

The UPF rating indicates how well the material blocks ultraviolet radiation from the sun, also known as solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR). The higher the UPF rating, the more solar UVR gets blocked by the material and the less exposure to solar UVR you will receive.

 (source: ARPANSA https://www.arpansa.gov.au/)

UPF30 rated fabric will allow 1/30^th (aroppx. 3%) of available UV radiation to penetrate and UPF50 rated fabric will allow 1/50^th (approx. 2%) of UV radiation to pass through. Ultimately, they both offer high UV protection, and some customers found our UPF30 fabric is cooler. We recommend you choose the fabric and garment that you feel comfortable in, and the design you like. At the end of the day, you won’t wear the clothing if you are uncomfortable in it.

1.  Wear loose fit

Important fact, each piece of clothing offers more protection than its UPF rating as the test was conducted with straight light beaming at the fabric but clothing is three-dimensional. Therefore, UV is not always straight onto every body part. There is a gap in between fabric and body, which reduces the chance for UV to reach body. Plus, when clothing is stretched, holes of weaves get bigger and more UV can pass through. For these reasons, loose fit clothing practically offers better sun protection, and also comfort.

    2. Cover as much as possible

Some bikinis are sold with UPF swing tag, but generally they are not allowed to have UPF rating as it doesn’t protect body parts fully. Cover as many body parts as possible, especially face, torso, arms and legs that are prone to get sunspots. We offer hats with loose veils, long sleeve shirts and long pants in breathable fabric, to help you fully covered while also keeping cool.

(Model is wearing Wonky Hole hoodie and Camo face mask)

    3. Material matters

Natural fibre cannot offer high UPF rating. Fabric such as cotton, rayon, viscose, linen offer below UPF 10. So if you are after UV protection, you should look away from cotton, linen and rayon. Majority of cheap ‘Hawaiian shirts’ are made of rayon and ladies summer clothing are made of cotton and linen. The best fabric for UV protection, is polyester. Thanks to its chemical structure, it naturally absorbs UVB. It has benzene rings, and this structure is similar to the one of sunscreen. Some people are still reluctant to wear polyester due to old types of polyester that is thick and doesn’t breathe. Our fabric is different. we offer special breathable lightweight polyester fabric which is also soft on skin so works well on sensitive skin. In the hot and humid weather, natural fibre holds the sweat and doesn’t dry which is a massive pain. However, our UPF rated quick dry polyester fabric evaporates sweat and keeps coolness while providing UV protection.

4. Small holes are better

More twisted yarn is more compact, and it minimises UV passing through the fabric. Our fabric is twisted to density of 150gsm to 200gsm. We do need holes for breathability of garments. If you are wearing a leather jacket with no holes, you might be protected from the sun, but you also might have a sun stroke. That’s why we are continuously researching to create breathable and wearable clothing in the sunny weather, that is also offering UV protection.

    5. How we make UV protective fabric

Our fabric gains high UV protection rating through a special UV coating technology.

The fabric is soaked in a solution prepared with chemicals such as nano-level zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These chemicals are often used in mineral based sunscreens. They help reflect and scatter UVA and UVB rays. They help prevent sunburn and sun damage. They are also used to treat minor skin irritations such as burns, cuts and rash.

Next, our fabric is dried under special conditions to keep the coating settled on the fabric.

The whole process of UV coating takes around 2 weeks. Our fabric is also lightweight, breathable, and quick dry which makes our clothes comfortable and wearable while offering sun protection.

(nano-level zinc oxide protects you from the harsh UV rays.)

    6. Dark colours are better

Contrary to the beliefs of many, dark colours actually offer better UV protection. Darker colours and intense colours – colourful prints absorb UV rays more and reduces UV travelling through fabric to the skin. Dark coloured clothing might feel warmer as it absorbs more sunlight than lighter coloured clothes. However, it offers higher UV protection thanks to that feature and prevents UV rays penetrating to skin. Again, your clothes need to be something you are comfortable to wear so go for what your heart desires.

    7. Sunscreen vs UV protective clothing

There are numerous reasons to choose sun safe apparel over sunscreen.

We often miss spots when we apply sunscreen on the body. It is hard to reach every body part. It might be too thinly applied for proper protection. You need to apply every so often. It is sticky and uncomfortable. It is a chemical and it is not good for the environment and marine life. Some beaches in Hawaii banned usage of certain sunscreens on the beaches. Essentially sunscreen is generally not good for human body, either. Sunscreen is carcinogenic, which means it can cause a different form of cancer. A lot of patients after surgery need to strictly stay UV protected throughout recovery. Doctors recommend not to use sunscreen but to use UV protective clothing, due to sunscreen’s carcinogenic chemical element.

VS

(Models are wearing Reef and Camo bucket hats.)

Sunscreen also has a shelf life. Usually around 1 year after manufacturing, even if you don’t open the tube, SPF rating will be diminished just by sitting on the shelf.

UV protective clothing can be the solution to all these problems of sunscreen. In addition, you can choose your favourite design to wear or even have your own design on high quality UPF50 clothing with us.

Hope this article gave you better understanding on UV protection and how to choose UV protective apparel. Feel free to leave a comment or email us with any questions and enquiries. design@designworksaustralia.com

Our wide range of sun safe apparel can be browsed here: https://www.designworksaustralia.com/collections/all

Stay sun safe and enjoy the great outdoors!