A "see-through" swimsuit that will eliminate tan lines has been developed by British designers.

The Tan Through range from Kiniki – launched earlier this month is transparent¹ when held up to the light.

Thousands of microscopic² holes in the mesh³ fabric⁴ allow 80 per cent of sunlight to penetrate⁵ through to the skin. However the garment is covered in 'magic eye'-style animal prints and abstract patterns which confuse the eye so onlookers⁶ can only see a solid block of fabric.

A swimsuit bought direct from the company's website costs £34.30 while all other items are £17.43.

However health campaigners warned that the garments could contribute to already increasing cases of deadly skin cancer.

Richard Clifford, secretary of 'Skcin' – the Karen Clifford Skin cancer charity – said: "By virtue⁷ of the fact they are putting a swimsuit over the skin it would be very difficult to apply sun cream underneath⁸.

"I think it is a dangerous idea and in the interests of vanity. We recommend UV protected clothing and this is the very opposite.

"Five people a day are diagnosed with malignant⁹ melanomas. It is a killer¹⁰ and affects more people here than in Australia."

A spokesman for the British Skin Foundation said sunbathers should take a responsible attitude

He said: "Although this may sound like an attractive idea to many people looking to get a tan this summer, the fact that it lets through 80 per cent of sunlight should be the worrying factor.

"This will mean that people can still damage their skin from UV light, as seemingly the swimsuit will not offer any type of cover to the skin.

"If people are looking to get that tanned look, there are safer alternatives to sitting out in the sun, like spray tanning."

Kiniki owner John Walker, 58, who has been manufacturing underwear and swimwear for over 35 years, said the company warned customers to be extra vigilant¹¹ when sunbathing¹².

He said: "They are selling like hot cakes. We only officially launched four weeks ago but we cannot keep up with demand at the moment."

"We have a disclaimer saying customers have to put on a sensible level of sun block.

"Customers have to be responsible because the fabric does let the light straight through."

英国设计师最近发明了一款“透视”泳衣，可在日晒后不留边痕。

Kiniki公司于本月初推出的这款Tan Through系列泳衣在日光下是透明的。

泳衣的网状布料上有数千个微孔，可以使80%的阳光穿透泳衣直射皮肤。但泳衣上印有动物图像和抽象图案的“三维立体画”，可以混淆人类视觉，使周围的人只能看到实色衣料。

该公司网站销售“透视”泳衣每件34.30英镑，而其它泳衣售价仅为每件17.43英镑。

然而健康保护运动人士提醒称，这种泳衣会使本已上升的致命性皮肤癌患者人数继续增加。

凯伦•克里弗德皮肤癌慈善机构“Skcin”的秘书理查德•克里弗德说：“由于穿了泳衣，人们就很难在身上涂防晒霜了。”

“我觉得这种‘创意’很危险，也很无聊。我们建议人们穿防紫外线的衣服，而这恰恰相反。”

“每天有五名患者被确诊患上恶性黑色素瘤，这是一种致命疾病，在英国比澳大利亚影响还要大。”

英国皮肤基金会的一位发言人称，日光浴爱好者应对自己负责。

他说：“尽管这对很多想在今年夏天晒日光浴的人们来说很有吸引力，但它会透过80%的阳光这一事实却令人担忧。”

“这意味着人们的皮肤仍将受到紫外线的伤害，因为看起来泳衣不会为皮肤提供任何形式的保护。”

“如果人们想把皮肤晒成古铜色，有比直接在太阳下暴晒更安全的方法，比如使用日光浴喷雾。”

Kiniki公司老板、现年58岁的约翰•沃克尔从事内衣和泳衣生产已超过35年，他称公司已提醒顾客（穿这种泳衣）日光浴时要格外警惕。

他说：“泳衣正在热销，我们正式推出这种泳衣仅四周，但现在已供不应求。”

“我们公布了一项免责声明，告知消费者应擦较大量的防晒乳。”

“消费者也应对此负责，因为这种布料确实会导致日光直晒皮肤。”

Vocabulary:

magic eye：三维立体图

by virtue of: by reason of; because of（由于）

spray tanning：日光浴喷雾，即用喷雾做人工日光浴

sell like hot cakes：热销

disclaimer：a statement, document, or assertion that disclaims responsibility, affiliation, etc（免责声明，弃权或不申诉条款）