Designed by CIID students Hyeona Yang and Joshua Noble, Raincatch is a rain coat that transforms collected rain water into purified drinking water. The collar of the coat captures the rain which is then passed through charcoal filters and a chemical purification system.

The purified water is then stored around the shoulders and pockets of the coat. Tubes woven into the raincoat allow the wearer to drink the collected water.

I find the idea of our garments functioning as air and water purification mediums quite intriguing. Although in the case of this project, I am having a difficult time imagining a context of use.

Is it designed as a water pack for avid backpackers who on their month long journeys have little or no access to filtered drinking water? Or for citizens of emerging countries who have limited access to clean purified drinking water due to pollution and contamination? Or is the rain coat simply a commentary on the near future scarcity of clean drinking water and pending water wars to come?

I prefer the latter.