Solartex Sun Gear

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Solartex Sun Gear, Inc. was formed by 2 moms, Lisa and Laurie, to promote child safety products that make life easier for parents. Solartex features cool, comfortable, chemical-free 50+SPF sun-protective swimwear, activewear and hats for children and adults. We also offer the only U.S. Coast Guard approved swimwear personal flotation device (PFD) for kids.

Solartex had its genesis when Lisa, who has a fair-skinned, red-headed son, wondered if she needed something more than ordinary sunscreen to protect him from sunburns and the damaging effects of the sun. In 1995, she saw some sun-protective swimwear manufactured by C-wear International of Australia for sale in a baby catalog. She had grown up believing in sunscreen's safety and effectiveness, so she was somewhat skeptical about whether she should buy swimwear to protect her child's fair skin, but she gave it a try. She ordered a 2-piece suit and received it in time for their beach vacation. Her son was 3 & 1/2 at the time. When he got the blue C-Shirt and C-Shorts in the mail, he wouldn't take them off--sleeping in them and wearing them everywhere! At the beach, she didn't have to repeatedly chase him and hold him down to cover him with sunscreen and he didn't get sunburned or freckled, even though he was outside all day, everyday. It turned out that the shirt and shorts were well-made, too. Even after three summers of wearing them to the local pool, to theme parks like Busch Gardens and Water Country and to the beach, they still look great!

In 1998, when her fair-skinned, red-headed daughter turned 2, she decided to get her a suit like her son's. She had a difficult time locating the company because their products were no longer available by catalog in the United States. However, because she was so impressed with their swimwear she didn't want to buy an imitation, and after several days of searching, she found the C-wear license-holder in Canada and placed another order. She received the same quality product, this time in a one-piece pink suit. Her daughter loved hers, too! The Canadian license-holder asked if she'd like to begin selling the swimwear in the United States. Since she was already convinced that C-wear is a terrific product and she had just reduced her schedule to part-time in her job as a local government attorney, the timing seemed right. Laurie, a pharmacist, shared Lisa's enthusiasm about these suits and was impressed by their "healthsmart" value and convenience.

Lisa and Laurie joined forces to begin educating the public about the danger of too much sun exposure, the need for reliable and effective sun protection and the C-wear alternative to sunscreen. This led to the launch of our web site and store in 1999.

Since that time, we have begun to promote other unique safety products for children and adults that are unique or difficult to find. Solartex found its second product line in the only U.S. Coast Guard approved swimwear personal flotation device by Aqua Force and its companion for the pool, My Pool Pal. Solartex has also begun carrying a number of sun protective items from various manufacturers, including Sun Emporium, Stingray, BYBodyguard, San Diego Hats and Sunday Afternoon.

We hope you will enjoy our web page and we know you'll agree that our products foster peace of mind while making your life a little easier and less stressful!

Our Products

Solartex Sun Gear features unique products for safety minded parents who want to make life easier for themselves while protecting their children. We offer both C-wear, Stingray and Sun Emporium 50+ SPF/UPF sun protective swimwear designed for Australia's blistering summers but perfect for American parents who want to protect their children from harmful sunrays without all of the hassle and expense of messy sunscreens.

In addition, we have swimshirts and swimwear, sun protective clothing and hats for adults.  We also carry a number of accessories like goggles, water shoes and beach bags.

We also offer the Aqua Force swimwear personal flotation device (PFD), a one of a kind swimsuit that doubles as a Coast Guard approved life preserver. Children love them because they don't have to wear an uncomfortable life jacket and parents love them because they don't have to struggle to get their child to put on and keep on their life preserver! For parents who prefer a flotation swimsuit for the pool, we have My Pool Pal swimwear, swim diapers and other accessories.

C-wear was featured on the Today show with Katie Couric, in Earnshaws Magazine, Chesapeake Bay Magazine and was recommended as a best baby buy in In Style Magazine, and most recently has been featured on CNN and across the country on various local news shows - see video (High quality 4.6MB - Windows Media, Dial-up 689KB - Windows Media). Newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, have also touted our sun protection benefits. Aqua Force and My Pool Pal have been featured in People, Parent's Magazine, Baby Talk and on Oprah and Live with Regis & Kathie Lee.