Excitement for Spring: Check Out the Fashion Trends Behind Coolibar’s 2014 Spring Line!

We are knee deep in snow here in Minnesota, and like so a lot of other places this year we keenly anticipate the arrival of spring!  Along with the heater temperatures, we can’t wait to see all of you viewing off the latest spring and summer fashions for 2014.

Around the globe, eye-popping new trends have been creation their way down the runway and into Coolibar’s spring collection. Coolibar follows international fashion trends for spring 2014.

Our design director Olga Mashkova has been planning and implementing this year’s great looks.  The new 2014 UPF 50+ spring line will perk up your look – for men, women and kids – with fun pops of pattern and color. We are especially excited about new geometric and ikat prints, along with beautiful pallets of blue.

At Coolibar, we put fashion into action by integrating the most up to date looks with the skin protection required to keep you and your family safe in the sun. Check out the fresh new lineup for spring, available now at Coolibar!

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Keeping My Family Sun Safe

We’ve been hit with brutal snowstorms this winter where I live in the Northeastern U.S., and while we tend to bundle up to protect ourselves from the elements an important area is often forgotten in the winter, especially by African-Americans.

I have to admit while I do an excellent job slathering on sunscreen, wearing sun protection clothing and putting on my sunglasses in the summer it’s much harder to follow through in the colder months. With a 3- year-old daughter and a baby on the way, it’s important to me to set a good example for my family in regard to sun safety, and I’ve found three key tips to help me.

Find products that multi-task – from the latest BB cream, lip balm and hair crème, there are so many dual function products. And who really has time for layering on serums, sunscreen, then foundation? I’ve found it best to find products that have both the coverage and moisture my skin craves along with the recommended sunscreen dosage. As an African-American, I especially like the blended products because the “sheer” sunscreens alone tend to still show up on darker skin. However the coverage make-up with sunscreen added in blend much better.

Keep your sun-safe accessories accessible – getting out the door on time is a challenge each morning, and rather than fumble around I find it’s helpful to keep everything in a logical place. Sounds so easy to do but you’d be surprised how many mornings I still run around to find that particular pair of sunglasses – including my daughter’s Christmas glasses she insists on wearing well into the New Year – or a missing glove. I keep my own items in the same to-go bag each morning and find that rather than cluttering our narrow entryway with extra baskets or containers, good old fashioned pockets are helpful. I can put my daughter’s items right in her pockets including her SPF lip balm which she applies right before we head out the door each morning, and she knows it’s part of her sun-safe routine!

Make it a game – this is especially true for my husband who, like most men, loves a bit of competition! Rather than inundate him with frightening facts, I make an aging game out of it comparing our laugh lines, forehead wrinkles and emerging eye creases while doing our morning routine. I jokingly do a tally of “who has more.” Of course, while we can’t literally count our lines, it has spurred him to make sunscreen a part of his regular routine. Despite an inherent SPF factor of 13.4 for African-American skin vs. 3.4 for white skin, the Skin Cancer Foundation says that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. with disproportionately high mortality rates in darker-skinned people.

With these three tips in mind, it’s a simple way to include my entire family in sticking to a sun-safe routine. I’ve had family members affected by cancer and while awareness has definitely increased, I’m enthusiastic about setting an example within my community – especially when we as African-Americans often think we’re immune from sun-safety recommendations due to our increased melanin. Join me and Coolibar as we continue on our sun-safe path!

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Cooltect Adds Cooling Effect to Sun Protection

Coolibar is already thinking spring: warmer temperatures, more active lives and all that goes with them. This spring, we’re also thinking about staying cool when the weather heats up.

Which brings us to CooltectTM. What is it?
Unlike other names you may have seen as part of our SUNTECT® fabrics, such as ZnO, aqua plus, 3D dri or lite, Cooltect is not a fabric.

Instead, it’s an innovative cooling technology that Coolibar adds to the sun protective fabrics in selected items. You can usually tell if your Coolibar item has Cooltect by looking on the inside lining. You can probably feel it, too; Cooltect actually holds the garment slightly away from the skin, creating extra airflow.

But Cooltect doesn’t really start working until you do. Think about the instant cooling sensation when you start chewing a piece of mint gum. Just as the gum reacts to saliva, the technology within the fibers of the Coolibar garment reacts as your body begins to perspire. This activates a cooling sensation and helps lower the surface temperature of your skin.

This cool, comfortable sensation has already impressed some well-known Coolibar athletes; check out their reviews here and here.
Remember, Cooltect doesn’t replace any of the Coolibar features that provide UPF 50+ sun protection. You get fitness gear that protects AND keeps you cooler during warm weather activity.

Coolibar offers Cooltect cooling technology on select UPF 50+ products suited for fitness activities. They include our Long Sleeve Cool Fitness Shirt for women, Long Sleeve Cool Fitness Shirtfor men, Short Sleeve Cool Fitness Shirt for women, Short Sleeve Cool Fitness Shirt for men and the Quarter Zip Long Sleeve Fitness Pullover for women. Watch for the latest Coolibar products featuring Cooltect in our spring catalog!

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