Onyx One-piece: Designer Notes

Onyx is my second design. Like Shelly, the design was made to address a need for sensory compression garments (related to autism), as well as the difficulty in finding sleeved and legged gender-neutral one-piece swimsuits sized for adults.

What started as a swimsuit/unisuit design turned into a more general design capable of making other forms of casual or athletic one-piece outfits. I’ve made one-piece pajamas with the Onyx design, and the design should be capable of making simple rompers (such as pajamas rompers), leotards, and unitards, as these garments all share the same general form, varying in fabric, ease, and sleeve/leg length more than in their core design. Options for ribbed cuffs were added to aid in making pajamas with the design, and pajamas were also a major reason for the addition of the optional hood (sun protection is the other reason).

The skirt was added in for modesty, primarily for the swimwear, though it does allow the Onyx design to be used to make gathered dresses with built-in shorts.

Onyx does copy a number of Shelly’s features, including raglan sleeves for mobility and the use of symmetrical front and back parts, except for the neck and head.

Onyx is named after the gemstone and its deep black color, which not coincidentally is a great base color for Onyx swimsuits, particularly if one wants them to look like a wetsuit.

A bit of history: Onyx may never have been born had it not been for the anti-LGBTQ+ protests and boycotts in the spring of 2023, which led to a unisuit that I particularly liked being pulled from the shelves of a major US retailer, and me needing a suitable replacement.

Thrunic