Hi! I am Lyndal, the creator of Es Una. This is me – washing my car. I bet you didn’t think you’d see a picture like this for my range of swimwear! I’m wearing Es Una’s Zip Front Ruffle Rashie Dress and it sure is versatile!

I want more women to enjoy summer and, although we may immediately think summer means bikinis at the beach, pool, sailing and resort holidays, my range brings a lot more to the table than swimwear.

I’ve already shared my experiences of becoming more self-conscious at the beach on my home page, so let me tell you how Es Una all came to be…

Like many families, mine love spending time at the beach each summer. When my kids were young, they and my husband would wear a rashie (or rash vest) but I could never find one that didn’t fit like a sausage skin. So, I wrapped myself in a towel or wore a t-shirt!

One Christmas, my 13-year-old daughter wanted to replace the rashie she’d outgrown. It had lost all of its elastication and, when wet, hung down almost to her knees. She needed a new one but wanted it to fit like a t-shirt, not a glove (much like I had been after since I had had children). We searched all the surf shops and, when we couldn’t find anything, we went online. All we could find to give a relaxed fit was a size 18 men’s rashie. 

As I sat on the beach that summer and pondered her problem, I realised that she wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to squeeze into a rashie. There were mums everywhere wearing sarongs or kaftans and many fully clothed. They weren’t able to splash or play with their kids in the water. A concern for modesty, a lack of self love, worry about ‘everyone looking’ – whatever it was, women weren’t enjoying summer as much as they should.

When we returned from holidays, I scoured the Internet for a rashie for myself too. All I could find were rash vests that were more about function than fashion. They were tight and figure-hugging; not what either of us wanted to wear. I found many different types of bathing suits to enhance, support and reveal, but nothing to fulfil the purpose of sun protection, swimming and body confidence.

I took my research further and interviewed women of all ages. I found that 70% of those surveyed wanted to set an example for their children by wearing a rashie; however, only 10% did because they could only find tight fitting rashies like a second skin that hugged their curves in all the wrong ways. According to a British survey on body confidence, 36% of women stop exercise because they’re too embarrassed about the way they look while they’re doing it. I found a similar sentiment in my survey and it saddened me to think about the number of women who give up going to the beach or pool with their families for the same reason. 

I was motivated to deliver a smarter swimwear solution and that’s how Es Una was founded in 2016. My goal is to provide comfort, coverage and confidence so that all women can enjoy summer – inspired by my range. And I’m a big advocate for women’s equality and workforce participation, so my range is made by women too.

Now, when I introduced myself on the home page, I promised pictures of me enjoying the beach through the ages – take a look at this for artistic application of zinc!