WE'LL START WITH THE TRUTH
Most people don't "forget" sun protection. They avoid it.
Sunscreen
You either didn't pack it, can't be bothered reapplying it, or you're not loving the idea of rubbing a bunch of chemicals into your skin every 60 minutes while you're trying to relax.
Rash vest / rashie
You own one, technically. But you don't like wearing it. It's tight. It's shiny. It makes you feel on display. You'll throw it on for a surf or snorkel maybe, but you're not sitting in it at the café, walking down the street in it, or getting photos with your family in it.
So what happens?
You end up in nothing. You just "cop a bit of sun this time." That pattern right there is why Nashie exists.
RASHIES WERE NEVER EVEN MADE FOR YOU
Rashies weren't invented for casual swimmers or for dads at the beach or for kids digging in the sand all day. They were invented for surfers, to stop board wax rubbing your chest raw. That's it. That's the origin.
A rash vest was about avoiding rashes from surfboard wax. Not about everyday sun. Not about looking decent off the sand. Not about comfort after you're out of the water. But Australia did what Australia always does: we made do. Rashies were already being made, they covered skin, so we just started using them for sun protection... even though they were never designed for that job. We just never updated the idea — until now.
SO WHAT'S A NASHIE?
SO WHAT'S A NASHIE?
Nashie means 'Not a Rashie'. It's the swim shirt you actually want to wear. It's the first sun-protective swim top designed for normal people doing normal beach and pool things — not just surfing for two hours and heading home.
It's collared and button-up, so it actually looks like a shirt
It's UPF 50+ for serious sun protection
It's lightweight and quick-dry, so you can swim in it and then sit in it
It's chlorine-resistant and saltwater-friendly, so it survives real use
It fits like a proper shirt, not vacuum-sealed lycra
It doesn't scream "rashie". You can literally walk into a café or bar in it and nobody stares
You wear your Nashie to the beach, in the water, and then out after! Same outfit, start to finish.
NO TOWEL-CHANGE
CONTORTIONS IN THE CAR PARK.
NO SEPARATE "SWIM
TOP" AND "REAL SHIRT."
NO BACKPACK
FULL OF SPARES.
You go in wearing your Nashie.
You leave wearing your Nashie.
Job done.
WHY THAT MATTERS
Because the only sun protection that works is the one you'll actually keep on. We didn't set out to "invent a product in a category." We set out to solve behaviour. The reality is:
- People are getting more and more sceptical about sunscreen, and even the people who aren't... still don't reapply often enough.
- People hate wearing tight rash vests unless they absolutely have to.
- People feel self-conscious when they don't like what they're wearing.
- So people just go uncovered.
OUR STORY
Hey. I'm Tom. My wife, Ash, and I live in north Brisbane. We're in the water a lot — Brisbane, Sunny Coast, down the Gold Coast where I grew up. We're outside with friends, with family, with our little one. This is just our life.
We've had family and close friends affected by skin cancer. And not just "had something checked" affected — properly affected. I've personally had spots cut off early as a precaution. Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world. That's just the reality. We all know someone. In most cases, more than one someone. And still... most people aren't actually covering up.
Why? Because the current options are annoying, ugly, or both. We looked at that and went: this is insane. If the country most at risk can't be bothered wearing what's on offer... maybe the offer is the problem. Australia gave the world the rashie. That made sense then. Now it's time for the Nashie.
BUILDING THE NASHIE TOOK MORE THAN LETS JUST MAKE A SHIRT
People sometimes assume we just grabbed a normal collared shirt fabric and said yeah, swim in that. If you have ever swum in a normal shirt, you know how that ends: It goes heavy, it chafes, it stretches out, it fades in chlorine, it sags weird around the shoulders, and then its basically ruined.
We spent a long time solving for that. We had to find and develop fabric that:
Is UPF 50+ (genuinely protective)
Is soft and comfortable on skin when it's wet
Dries fast enough that you can go from water to cafe without sitting in a cold, clingy, dripping mess
Holds colour in chlorine and salt
Has enough structure to sit like a shirt, not a limp rash vest
Has enough give to move, swim, pick up kids, cast a line - but doesn't balloon and float up around your chest in the surf
Can handle buttons - real buttons - that won't just corrode or snap off in chlorinated pools or seawater
That last part sounds tiny. It's not. Buttons in salt and chlorine are brutal. We tested and rejected a lot of hardware before landing on something that lasts. Then there's fit. Loose sun shirts exist, but they tend to either cling in the wrong places when they're wet... or ride up and flap around you like a flag. Neither is great. We worked through sizing and cut so a Nashie sits like a normal shirt when you're dry, and stays in place in the water without feeling like compression gear. That was the line we wanted: Not painted on. Not a parachute. Just... a shirt. That happens to be a swim shirt. That happens to protect you.
There's another benefit people don't realise until they wear it: how much easier it makes the day.
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You don't have to pack extra clothes.
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You don't have to get changed behind a towel.
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You don't have to sit at lunch in a clingy, shiny rash vest.
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You don't have to stress that you're burning while "just sitting and watching the kids for a bit."
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You don't have to keep chasing sunscreen and sand-gritty hands.
CONFIDENCE MATTERS TOO
One of the things we didn't expect — but we hear constantly — is what wearing a Nashie does for confidence.
"MY HUSBAND STOPPED SWIMMING WITH US THE LAST FEW SUMMERS BECAUSE HE WASN'T COMFORTABLE WITH HIS BODY. HE'S BACK IN THE WATER."
"MY TEEN FINALLY CAME TO THE BEACH AND SWAM INSTEAD OF HIDING UNDER A TOWEL."
"HE WORE IT ALL DAY, NEVER TOOK IT OFF, AND WASN'T BURNT FOR ONCE. THAT PART MEANS A LOT TO US."
Sun safety isn't just technical. It's emotional. If you don't feel good in what you're wearing, you'll take it off. If you take it off, you're exposed. Make something people feel good in and they'll keep it on. That's bigger than "nice fabric." That changes behaviour.
WHAT WE'RE PROUD OF
01
WE'RE MAKING IT EASIER TO NOT GET BURNED
If more people are covered more of the time — at the beach, in the pool, camping, fishing, just walking around on a hot day — that's a genuine win. We want to help lower skin cancer rates in Australia and everywhere else we sell. That's not marketing fluff for us. That's the mission.
02
WE'RE LETTING PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEMSELVES
You can wear your Nashie and feel like you. Not "hidden," not "on display," not "the old guy in a rashie," not "the mum who's 'being careful'." Just you, in a good-looking swim shirt, doing your day. If you feel comfortable enough to stay out longer, make memories, get in the water — that matters.
WHERE NASHIE IS NOW
What started in Brisbane has already spread across Australia and is now taking off overseas, especially in the US. Turns out this wasn't just an Australian problem. Sun is sun. We're expanding the range:
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Men's and women's cuts
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Long sleeve and short sleeve swim shirts
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Swim pants and matching pieces
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Colours you can wear in public without feeling like a highlighter
But the rule stays the same: if you wouldn't happily wear it to the beach, in the water, and then straight to a bar or café afterwards... it's not a Nashie yet.
THE SHORT VERSION
Rashies were built for surfers, not for everyone.
Sunscreen is annoying and people aren't perfect.
Most people end up in nothing, which is how we all get burned.
A Nashie fixes that.
It's a UPF 50+ swim shirt that looks like a real shirt, dries fast, survives salt and chlorine, and is comfortable enough that you'll keep it on all day — in the sun, in the water, and everywhere after.
One outfit in. One outfit out.
Less hassle. More protection. More confidence.
We're not here to tell you to be careful. We're here to make it easy.
Wear your Nashie. Stay out there.
Questions? support@thenashie.com.au