For part of the winter in Sweden, the sun never rises. In those darkest days, the residents experience what has been deemed a "Swedish melancholy." Like many great creatives before him, Swedish designer Alexander Stutterheim was deeply moved by melancholy when he first conceived of his popular raincoat collection. Grieving the loss of his grandfather and longing to feel closer to him, Stutterheim decided to modernize his fisherman grandfather's old raincoat. Embracing the Swedish tradition of finding joy in the midst of sorrow, Stutterheim expanded upon his original idea and created a stylish, high-quality and extremely functional line of raincoats, like his grandfather's, that would stand up in tough weather and bring comfort to its wearers, no matter the season.
Cut for a man but slim-fitting for a woman, the Stockholm version of these hand-sewn, cotton-lined, made-in-Europe raincoats boasts "no Gore-tex and no velcro," and come in red, green, yellow, white, black and blue. I have one in green and it kept me warm and dry both when I was sailing out on the intense Baltic Sea and even when I was just strolling through Stockholm, Sweden in a light drizzle. Already a success in Europe, Stutterheim raincoats are gaining in popularity in the States with hip-hop star Kanye West spotted wearing one just this month. The raincoat retails at $315 and can be purchased at Barney's and online.
Want to win a Stockholm Stutterheim Raincoat? Follow @EBONYMag on Twitter and stay tuned for our next “That Thing” giveaway Wednesday, May 29 at 2 p.m. EST!
