Watching the rain at the bus stop made me rethink fabric choices

I was waiting for the 5:15 bus in Portland last Tuesday when a downpour started. This woman in a long coat stood next to me, and the water just beaded up and rolled right off the fabric instead of soaking in. I asked her about it, and she said it was a waxed cotton blend she treated herself. It got me thinking about designing outerwear that looks good but actually works in wet weather. Has anyone else designed with functional, water-resistant natural fabrics lately?

2 comments

2 Comments

patking4d ago

Remember that old army surplus store on Burnside? Went there for a coat once. Found this stiff, weird smelling jacket. Guy said it was some old wool and oilskin thing. Felt like wearing a cardboard box. @joseph529 your beeswax story is way more relatable. My disaster was a wool sweater I tried to "shower proof" with some spray. It just made the wool crunchy and it still got soaked. Smelled like a chemical plant too. Some fabrics just aren't meant for it.

joseph5294d ago

Oh man, that's a great observation... and it reminds me of my own sad history with "water resistant" jackets that just turn into wet paper towels. I've been trying to work with a heavy linen and beeswax mix for a simple shell layer, but my first attempt was a total mess... I think I used too much heat and the wax just pooled in weird spots. It ended up looking like I'd been attacked by a candle. Still trying to figure out the right balance for it to actually work without looking totally homemade.