Sorry I couldn’t resist with the title but its true! Katy and Julia design and produce the best rainwear out there and it has me jumping & biking with joy. I was over the moon when I discovered Rain-wave and the gorgeous girls behind it – living in London, you need to be prepared for rain at anytime and in style of course. Sick of losing umbrellas and in love with my bike life, the Bike Poncho might just be my best 2013 purchase yet, plus I get to support independent designers doing great things. Win, win right? What better item to pack for those upcoming festivals you’ve planned than a fabulous printed poncho that will keep you dry, not restrict your dance floor manoeuvres and get you photographed by style bloggers from all over? You got it!
If you want to see their range of ponchos in the flesh and try before you buy you’re in luck, head down to their popup – Rain Wave at Pop up Britain, 387 Kings Road, London until the 23rd May. Otherwise head to their website to view the full range.
I loved their own collaged images of famous faces wearing Rain-wave from their Facebook page so much I had to add them here, who knew Herman the Monster was a fashion icon?
Katy has kindly answered some questions for APPETITE FOR DECORATION. Thanks Katy. X
Tell us a little ABOUT your background – How did you two meet and what led you to start designing the best rain wear out there?
Julia and I have been best friends for many years, we met while working in Amsterdam. I was a TV director and Julia was in music marketing. We stopped working around the same time to have our kids and during a rainy family holiday in Devon, fed up with our boring, bulky black cagoules we decided to reinvent the pack a mac! This idea morphed into the poncho. We had a vision of thousands of women adorned in our rainwear, bold and beautiful enjoying themselves come rain or shine..and Rainwave was born.
Where do you find INSPIRATION for your prints?
The reason we liked the idea of designing rainwear so much was that we could turn something really functional into something beautiful and artistic. We are inspired by nature, architecture, films, interiors, art, travel, ancient cultures, modern trends and designers. Ultimately though we think about what ourselves and our customers would like to wear and what prints suit the style – we want to make original rainwear but we also want it to be user-friendly.
What are you CURRENTLY working on?
We are currently working on a new set of prints and colours for Autumn 2013. Plus we are developing a winter range of warmer waterproof ponchos, extending our bike range and working on loads of other styles for 2014 – all gorgeous printed rainwear.
FOOD from the Gods?
Govinda’s Hare Krishna restaurant Soho. Durum Turkish Grill House Finchley Road. BBQ ing freshly caught mackerel – Branscombe Devon. Shama/ Huddersfield – since the 1970’s they have been serving great Pakistani food from a converted cinema in Huddersfield – (my daughters favourite because you get a rose when you leave!).
Inspired COLOUR theme?
Ndebele houses / rock formations / The Duomo in Florence – they knew how to do monochrome.
You produce RAIN-WAVE in Morocco, what are your top tips for freshers traveling there?
We go to Casablanca which is pretty much off the tourist trail. We visit our factories and it’s mainly meetings and inspections, the main Bazaar here is great for shopping. Alongside the beach are various beach clubs, great for people watching and very relaxing after the mayhem of the factory…especially lying on a sun lounge looking out to sea. Oh yes, the original Rick’s bar from the movie Casablanca is lovely for a sundowner.
My favorite piece from the collection is the BIKE poncho, I can’t stop wearing mine. How did it come into being?
I love walking and I love cycling but I’m not a speedster I just like to use the bike to get from A to B so having made the poncho it seemed natural to adapt it for bikes. I worked out what it needed to keep it from flapping up in the wind and found a manufacturer here to adapt the regular poncho. Very simple but very functional. I love it on the bike, it feels light and airy and I’m really visible. It looks great too – check me out looking tres sportif below! Plus you can wear it over a winter coat so you can use it all year round.
Sunday morning RITUAL?
Well we are not the most organised family and tend to take it easy on a Sunday morning. Eventually we get it together to go somewhere – our latest craze is an urban hike. We leave the car at home and walk to Hampstead Heath/Highgate stopping at pretty pubs like The Spaniards for a pint along the way.
Best London RETAIL destination?
I was pleasantly surprised and very inspired by The Bluebird on Kings Road recently. Some great collages and some amazing Surrealist (big fan of surrealism) inspired china, plus some really interesting brands all set in a lovely space.
APPETITE FOR DECORATION 