Twilight's Edward Cullen may sparkle in the sun, but I break out in hives. Since I was Renesmee's age, no amount of sunscreen could protect me from UV rays, so my parents resorted to UPF-rated clothing. As I grew up, my options only got uglier—the market mainly curated to Baby Boomers or literal babies. This week, however, Kendall Jenner introduced me to a UPF-protectant brand that could change my entire approach to fashion.
On July 5, the oldest Jenner continued her Euro summer style streak in Saint Tropez. While she perused boutiques along the French Riviera, paparazzi captured Jenner in (what appeared to be) your average little red dress. Plot twist: It's actually a UV-blocking dress from Claudent, a first-of-its-kind L.A. brand. Minutes after the supermodel debuted the Boatneck Mini Dress, her $325 Tomato-hued version sold out.
"We have the biggest waitlist we've ever had," co-founder and creative director Emma Gerber tells me just five days post-Jenner. Gerber's "pinch me moment" happened through a mutual friend who assists Dani Michelle, Jenner's longtime stylist. "We didn't even know if there was a look styled, and then [my friend] texted me a screenshot of Devon Carlson's Instagram," she says. Jenner paired the sleeveless A-line slip with two The Row staples: the best-selling flip-flops and the $1,350 Barn Tote.
On July 5, Kendall Jenner wore Claudent's LRD and instantly sold it out.
The UPF brand officially launched in June 2023, but Gerber and her co-founder and CEO, Mia Zee, have been subconsciously creating the world of Claudent since elementary school. "I'm actually allergic to the sun, which sounds a lot scarier than it is," Zee says. (I can attest: polymorphic light eruption is more common than you'd think.)
With a background in fashion and beauty marketing, she started exploring UPF clothing, but with no such luck. "Nothing spoke to me as a fashion-conscious consumer," Zee says. Brands made kids' swimwear or men's fishing shirts, but "nothing for someone who just wants to dress like they would any other day, but also have a little bit more protection." Similarly, Gerber's connection to the label is personal—her father had melanoma, a prevalent form of skin care.
The business partners are on self-proclaimed "different ends of the sun spectrum." Gerber loves time in the sun, while Zee covers up as much as possible. Regardless, they both prioritize UPF protection that "doesn't feel like a sacrifice," Zee says. Hence the name: Claudent derives from the Latin word for "shutting"—as in, shutting out the sun. "We want to make clothes that people want to wear, that they just happen to be sun-protected, instead of clothing that you have to wear because of a medical condition."
You can't go wrong with the Button Up Shirt in Soft Black at the beach.
Zee and Gerber initially launched Claudent with an athletic-focused capsule, though they've since segued to resortwear. "We weren't reaching for the athleisure in our closets," Gerber says. When workshopping their third and second collections, they asked themselves, What do we want to wear to the beach in a fantasy world? "For both of us, it's a button-up shirt you can throw over your bikini, or an easy pant you could wear to breakfast at the hotel."
So, they created just that. Their goal was to mimic cotton poplin, but since they're "against using any chemical treatments on top," the co-founders developed their own proprietary fabric named "Riviera." It took nearly a year to form an "easy, lightweight, and low-maintenance" material. Nowadays, Claudent's catalog boasts matching sets, button-downs, pants, shorts, skirts, and dresses, with the most expensive piece being Jenner's $325 Boatneck Mini.
Pair the light blue Drawstring Pants with the matching Button Up Shirt for maximum coastal grandmother energy.
Gerber and Zee admit there are major misconceptions surrounding UPF attire. "People just expect it to be really thick, uncomfortable, or feel like a rash guard," Gerber says. "It's been exciting to see people realize it's not a shirt you keep in the weird vacation box at the back of your closet for when you get a sunburn."
The founders recognize applying and re-applying sunscreen (and re-applying twice more) can oftentimes feel like a chore. So they designed chic, elevated basics as the full-coverage, reapplication-proof baseline—without focusing solely on the protective element. "I would wear our pants and our shirt, even if they weren't UV-blocking," Zee says. I'd be remiss not to mention, Zee and Gerber wore the same Drawstring Pants for this interview.
Alongside producing cute clothes, Gerber and Zee also hope to educate customers on the importance of sun protection, which is why they recently partnered with the Melanoma Research Alliance. "I'm just wearing a white cotton T-shirt right now, and its UPF is between a 5 and a 7 (the lower the numbers, the worse the exposure)," Zee says. "Even though people are wearing clothes, you're not always protected." Two out of every three harmful UV rays reach your skin with cotton or linen pieces. Claudent designs, on the other hand, protect you from over 98% of UVA/UVB rays.
My thighs are always the first to burn, so the Midi Skirt is coming home with me.
2026 is on track to be one of Claudent's buzziest years yet. "We're looking to expand to wholesale, because [I believe] having it on a rack is the best way to prove to customers this is actually clothing you'd like to wear," Zee shares. In addition to possibly hitting stores, Gerber and Zee are establishing new fabrications next year: four will premiere in the Spring/Summer 2026 collection (their first full line), hopefully coming soon. Nearly 30 new styles will be available, each one "keeping in line with resortwear."
Gerber and Zee want to dominate your vacation suitcase just as much as your everyday closet. "We really want to make functional clothes so that if you're investing in the product, you can wear it to the beach and also the office," Zee says. "Having pieces that can translate easily across your life is really important to us."
And just like that, Jenner changed the trajectory of Zee and Gerber's label (a tale as old as time). The It girl only gives the green light to a handful of small businesses, making Claudent officially one to watch on the fashion front. Who knows? Maybe she put the UV-proof pieces on Kylie's radar, too. She certainly gave me a new option I never thought I'd find.
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