Heliades grew quickly within the niche luxury sun protection market. I worked closely with the founder, Sharone to develop a collection of UV protective accessories and apparel.
Scope: Accessory Designer, Technical Designer, Sourcing
- Create custom prints, develop line plan, determine the seasonal color palette.
- Source fabrics, trims, prints, and factories domestically and internationally. Meet with mills, negotiate pricing, and minimums.
- Lead fit sessions, revise tech packs with fit comments, revise patterns in AI, communicate with factories.
- Concept and technical design for UV sun gauntlets and sun-protective clothing.
What makes Heliades unique?
As a California native, the sun has been a quiet (and generally welcomed!) companion through it all. Over time, as sunspots and fine lines surfaced—and as her beloved tattoos began fading—Sharone knew she needed to change her relationship with the sun.
Tired of the messiness and impracticalities of the sunscreen ritual, Sharone searched for sun protective apparel she could layer onto whatever she was wearing—something equally suitable for a client lunch at a patio cafe, a weekend escape with friends or family, or her ever-growing list of errands. Something that would allow her to be “all in”—present, committed and prepared—for the spontaneous and scheduled moments alike. What she found though, was athletic- and beach-specific gear and a motley assortment of dated and uninspiring accessories. Determined to close the gap between self-care, self-expression, and everyday ease, Sharone started HELIADES with the launch of the Sol Escape collection. She hasn’t stopped designing since.
Sunscreen seemed to only make life more complicated. Forget to put some on before your makeup? Yikes. Wearing something that stains easily? Good luck with that. Did you bring it in your bag? Hope so—you’ll need to reapply in two hours. And, wait, you don’t want to smell like whatever’s in that bottle?
Shop Heliades
TECHNICAL STANDARDS
Luxurious materials with superior protection. Soft, breathable fabrics with UPF 50+ that blocks 98% of UVA and UVB rays—all while keeping you cool and dry.
Our fabrics are meticulously sourced and selected for their durability, comfort, and luxuriousness. In addition to all of our products being certified to block 98% of UVA and UVB rays, our Sun Gauntlet gloves are made with OEKO-TEX®Standard 100 materials—meaning they are certified to be free of chemicals harmful to humans and the environment. We are moving towards this standard for all HELIADES products—stay tuned!
ETHICAL STANDARDS
Responsibly and ethically produced. Made with the help of partners committed to leaving a gentle footprint and to supporting needs of workers and their families. Wherever possible, fabric scraps are upcycled to minimize waste.
To ensure the lightest possible environmental footprint, we carefully select partners committed to end-to-end sustainability—utilizing renewable energy sources, recycling water during manufacturing, and converting reusable fabric scraps into new materials. And, like us, our partners are small, family-owned businesses.