Inspired by mom’s skin cancer battle, sisters create new fashionable UPF clothing line
By Jackie Kostek
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — Before the age of 70, one in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation. For two Chicago area sisters, that statistic hit close to home when their mom was diagnosed with melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, about a decade ago.
They turned that health scare into inspiration to create a sun-protective fashion brand.
“She is, honestly, she’s the love of our life. She is hysterical and beautiful and funny,” Kelly Casaccio said.
Casaccio and her sister, Laura Kosmorsky, would do just about anything for their mom, even start a business.
“This idea of starting something from scratch for, it just amazes her. And she’s like, ‘Are you guys crazy? Do you want to do this? Why would you want to do this?'” Casaccio said.
For Casaccio and Kormorsky, the answer to why is tied to a journey that started about a decade ago, when their stylish, sun-loving mom was diagnosed with melanoma.
“There was a small brown spot on her face; and, honestly, it didn’t look like anything out of the ordinary. My dad happens to be a physician, and he thought, ‘You know what? We should just get that checked out,’ and so it was biopsied and it came back as cancer. And following that, she had a very, very invasive surgery on her face. I mean, she had a scar from her upper eye down to her lip,” Casaccio said.
The cancer was gone, but almost overnight something she loved became something she feared.
“The doctor told her there is no more going out and getting burned or not protecting yourself. But on top of that, this procedure was, it was really hard for her. It affected how she looked. It affected her confidence,” Casaccio said. “And we saw that, that when she’d go to the pool and she’d go to the beach, she was scared. She was scared to get any sun.”
About five years ago, the sisters started brainstorming.
“If she’s in this situation and our family is in this situation, millions of other people must be, and there has to be a better solution,” Casaccio said.
Their solution was to create a sun protective fashion brand, designing UPF clothing that women actually want to wear. The only problem was they didn’t have any background in fashion design.
“I am a graphic designer, and I’ve definitely always had an affinity for fashion. So it was something that I know what I like, and I know what I want to wear. So that definitely helped. But as far as formal fashion training, absolutely not,” Kosmorsky said.
“And I’m an absolute no. I can’t sketch anything. I know what I like to wear, but I was actually a teacher by trade. So my skill set is just not taking no for an answer,” Casaccio said.
That tenacity proved essential to getting Tied Sunwear off the ground.
“When I tell you I started with a Google search, like, ‘how do you manufacture clothes?’ I am not kidding. It was one reach-out phone call led to one meeting led to one connection,” Casaccio said.
As the sisters described, a series of unfortunate but fortunate events led them to South Korea, where they found the perfect fabric for their clothing line.
“Our fabric is actually inherently UPF. It’s made of collagen fibers that are inherently cooling. They are antibacterial, moisture-wicking. And it is this super soft to the touch, not chemically treated fabric that felt like a miracle,” Casaccio said.
That miracle fabric became the base of the Tied Sunwear collection.
“We started out with four pieces. A pant, a top, a dress, and a multi -purpose wrap. Sarong is probably the best way to put it. We recently in the summer launched some shorts, and a different top, and a multi-purpose sun scarf,” Kosmorsky said.
While the startup owners said they’ve had to get familiar with rejection, they’ve had some pretty big wins since officially launching in January, including earning a 2025 Sun O-ward for Best Coverup from Oprah Daily, and landing a partnership with Catherine Schwarzenegger Pratt.
Even a couple of big-time celebrity endorsements can’t measure up to the one they eventually got from mom.
“I will never forget the day I got a phone call. And she goes, ‘You know what? These are actually amazing. I just want to wear them all the time.’ And I was like, ‘Thanks, mom. I’m glad you approve,'” Casaccio said.
“She goes, ‘I actually want to wear this. It’s so easy to pack. I’ve worn it four days in a row. It doesn’t smell. And I haven’t gotten any sun where it was.’ She’s like, ‘It actually works.’ And we’re like, ‘Yeah, imagine that,'” Kosmorsky said.
This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.
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