It's true that April showers bring May flowers, but autumnal downpours also have a bright side this year with the advent of
intelligent clothing. In one instance, modern raincoats are keeping savvy wearers dry while making use of recycled raindrops. True, erratic weather forecasts may be on the horizon, but these other science-minded slickers stand to make even the most dedicated sun worshippers beam.
Raincatch: This summer's
solar film swimwear left many wondering what other weather-efficient garments would follow. A strong contender to become the
Pacific Northwest's newest fashion commodity, Raincatch is a multipurpose poncho that funnels precipitation through its collar, filters it through a charcoal and chemical purifying system, and then stores the water near the hips where it’s least obstructive, and most figure-flattering. Designed by two students at the
Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, the poncho’s transparent tubing displays the process, while the water reserve remains hidden. As drought stricken locales are reluctantly
turning to last resorts—and with clean water concerns at an
all-time high—this concept may be just in time.
Spud Raincoat: Products such as
plantable greeting cards and
seed-studded lipstick allow goods that would normally go straight to the landfill to infuse the earth with clean air instead. And as consumers grow
increasingly worried about plastic and the toxins associated with its production, more manufacturers are looking for alternative materials such as
Equilicuá’s Spud Raincoat, aka "The Fantastic Bioplastic." This productive garment is made from a potato starch concoction
and laced with the seeds of various flora. Despite its material and name, it can’t be transformed into French fries, but its imbedded seeds will upgrade even the most barren ground with a pastoral assortment of shrubs and small plants.
Wrk-Shp’s Tyvek Raincoat: With numerous options for
wearable art coinciding with a growing
houseplant obsession, it’s no surprise that the concept of “green” fashion is taking on a new meaning in the form of clothing embedded with actual living plants. Wrk-shp’s wheatgrass-speckled coat, made of highly breathable
Tyvek, grows with every drizzle it absorbs. Part of the brand’s Fall/Winter 2011 Collection, the silk-lined slicker has received press from sundry
online outlets. Designer
Airi Isoda, who has a background in architecture, was largely inspired by eco-centric buildings (such as Silver Lake's
NaturalMind hair salon), as well as the concept of
"breathable" design, in creating the coat.
