Une Piece

Une Piece is an Australian women's swimwear brand founded by Carly Brown in 2016. Its defining product is a one-piece swimsuit that combines the appearance and functional characteristics of a rash guard with a more structured, fashion-led silhouette. The original design, known as the Original Sexie Rashie, uses long sleeves to cover the arms and upper back, provides UPF50+ sun protection in those areas, and incorporates a front zip that allows the wearer to select the amount of chest coverage. The design was positioned as an alternative to conventional rash guards, which Brown regarded as functional but not necessarily flattering or broadly appealing as fashion products. Brown developed the concept after encountering the need for more protective swimwear while travelling in Europe. Before establishing Une Piece, she worked in marketing for The Coca-Cola Company and Revlon in London and later held a senior marketing role with Uber in Australia. She conducted market research before committing to production and built a waiting list of more than 500 prospective customers. That early interest helped validate the product concept. Brown left her position at Uber in July 2016 to work on Une Piece full time. The Original Sexie Rashie reportedly went through eleven design iterations before reaching production. Its construction uses 28 separate pieces, compared with the four pieces cited for a typical rash guard, allowing the brand to shape the garment more closely to the body while retaining coverage. The suits are made from Italian fabric described as being four-and-a-half times more chlorine resistant than standard materials. The company deliberately offered the designs across Australian sizes 6 to 18, reflecting Brown's stated aim of making attractive, protective swimwear available to a wider range of women rather than limiting it to very small sizes. The first production run sold out within a week, and customers waiting for the subsequent run reportedly faced delays of more than a month. The product also received favourable attention from fashion publications including Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, and Vanity Fair. Brown later identified coverage in the Huffington Post, The Times of London, and Vogue as important forms of external validation. The original design also won Brown second place in the Queensland University of Technology's 2017 Bluebox annual innovation challenge. Une Piece subsequently expanded the signature concept with the Surfe Sexie Rashie, which uses a back zip and a higher neckline, and the Twist Sexie Rashie, which also uses a back zip but has a lower-cut neckline and twist detailing at the front. The brand has also produced a more conventional halterneck one-piece based on the Twist Sexie Rashie design. Publicly available reference material identifies Une Piece primarily as an Australian swimwear retailer and does not establish its current ownership, corporate structure, headquarters, financial performance, or present operating status.

Une Piece was founded in Australia by Carly Brown in 2016. Brown brought a marketing background to the venture, having previously worked for The Coca-Cola Company and Revlon in London and later as a senior marketing manager for Uber in Australia. The brand's origin lay in a practical and aesthetic problem Brown encountered while travelling in Europe: conventional sun-protective swimwear could provide coverage but was not necessarily designed as a polished fashion garment. She began researching a one-piece swimsuit that could protect the arms and back while offering a more shaped and feminine appearance. Before production, Brown tested the idea through market research and accumulated a waiting list of more than 500 potential customers. The response encouraged her to leave Uber and devote herself to Une Piece full time in July 2016. The initial production run sold out within a week, while customers seeking the following run reportedly encountered waits of more than one month. These early results provided the young brand with evidence of demand before it had developed a broad product portfolio. The first major product was the Original Sexie Rashie. It is a long-sleeved one-piece swimsuit whose upper section performs a role similar to a rash guard. The design provides UPF50+ protection for the arms and back and uses a front zip so the wearer can adjust chest coverage. Rather than treating the garment as a simple protective layer, Une Piece engineered it as a shaped swimsuit. The design went through eleven iterations and was constructed from 28 pieces, considerably more than the four-piece construction cited for a typical rash guard. The stated purpose of this complexity was to produce a closer, more flattering fit while maintaining coverage. The garment used Italian fabric described as four-and-a-half times more chlorine resistant than ordinary material. Sizing was part of the brand's early proposition. The suits were made in Australian sizes 6 through 18, a range Brown presented as a deliberate effort to make attractive swimwear accessible to more women. This emphasis distinguished Une Piece from a narrow luxury-fashion approach and connected functional performance with inclusivity in the practical availability of sizes. The Original Sexie Rashie received attention from major fashion publications, including Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, and Vanity Fair. Brown later described coverage from Vogue, The Huffington Post, and The Times as particularly validating. In 2017, she placed second in Queensland University of Technology's Bluebox annual innovation challenge, adding formal recognition to the media interest and early commercial traction. Une Piece later broadened its signature format. The Surfe Sexie Rashie replaced the original front zip with a back zip and used a higher neck. The Twist Sexie Rashie also used a back zip but introduced a lower-cut neck and twist detail at the front. The brand additionally produced a conventional halterneck one-piece derived from the Twist design. Available reference material does not provide reliable information about later corporate developments, current ownership, financial results, headquarters, or whether the brand remains active, so those aspects remain unconfirmed.

• 2017

  Second place in QUT Bluebox innovation challenge

  [1]Une Pieceen.wikipedia.org

  Brown won second place in Queensland University of Technology's annual Bluebox innovation challenge for the Une Piece concept.

• 2016

  Une Piece is founded

  [1]Une Pieceen.wikipedia.org

  Carly Brown founded the Australian swimwear brand and left her role at Uber in July to work on it full time.

• 2016

  Initial product run sells out

  [1]Une Pieceen.wikipedia.org

  The first production run of the Original Sexie Rashie reportedly sold out within one week, with later customers facing a wait for the next run.

• Signature product range expands

  [1]Une Pieceen.wikipedia.org

  Une Piece added the higher-neck Surfe Sexie Rashie and the lower-cut, twist-front Twist Sexie Rashie, both with back zips.

Fashion-oriented women's swimwear that combines body-conscious design, broad size availability, and functional sun protection.

• Long-sleeved one-piece swimsuit · 2016

  Original Sexie Rashie

  Une Piece's signature original design combines a one-piece swimsuit with a long-sleeved rash-guard upper. It is intended to provide UPF50+ protection for the arms and back while retaining a shaped, fashion-oriented silhouette. A front zip allows the wearer to choose the amount of chest coverage. The garment reportedly uses 28 construction pieces and chlorine-resistant Italian fabric, and was developed through eleven iterations before production.

• Long-sleeved one-piece swimsuit

  Surfe Sexie Rashie

  The Surfe Sexie Rashie is a variation on the original rash-guard swimsuit concept. It uses a back zip rather than the original front zip and has a higher neckline, increasing the covered and sport-oriented character of the design while preserving the brand's combination of swimwear styling and upper-body sun protection.

• Fashion swimwear

  Twist Sexie Rashie

  The Twist Sexie Rashie is a lower-cut variation with a back zip and twist detailing across the front. It adapts the protective long-sleeved swimsuit format into a more decorative and revealing silhouette. The design also served as the basis for a more conventional halterneck one-piece swimsuit.

• One-piece swimsuit

  Halterneck one-piece swimsuit

  Une Piece also manufactures a conventional halterneck one-piece based on the Twist Sexie Rashie design. It represents an adaptation of the brand's design language into a less coverage-focused silhouette, although the available reference material does not provide detailed information about its fabric, release date, or current availability.

• 2017

  Une Piece wins second place in the QUT Bluebox innovation challenge[1]Une Pieceen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Carly Brown received second place in Queensland University of Technology's annual Bluebox innovation challenge for the Une Piece concept.

• 2016

  Une Piece launches its rash-guard-inspired one-piece swimsuit concept[1]Une Pieceen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Carly Brown established Une Piece after developing a long-sleeved one-piece swimsuit intended to combine UPF50+ coverage with a more flattering, fashion-led construction.

• Original Sexie Rashie receives fashion-media attention[1]Une Pieceen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Original Sexie Rashie attracted favourable reviews and mentions from Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, and The Times.

• Une Piece adds Surfe Sexie Rashie and Twist Sexie Rashie variations[1]Une Pieceen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation · Product launch

  The brand extended its signature rash-guard swimsuit concept with two back-zip designs: the higher-neck Surfe Sexie Rashie and the lower-cut, twist-front Twist Sexie Rashie.

1. 1Une Pieceen.wikipedia.org