Peeling back the layers of our Mono Rain Jacket
In this blogpost, we peel back the layers of our waterproof cycling jacket, the Mono Rain Jacket, by exploring its considerations and design principles. Created to make it the one jacket you reach for, the Mono Rain Jacket is suitable for all-weather rides being fully waterproof, packable and perfect for everyday use.
From the offset, we established the key criteria that our rain jacket had to meet.
• Environmental credentials: no use of PFAS toxic chemicals and offering durability.
• Comfort: balance waterproofing and breathability.
• Packability: no bulky zips and pockets so it can be taken anywhere and is very lightweight.
• Fit: modern and slightly more cropped.
• Aesthetics: needs to be stylish and come in carefully selected colourways.
“This jacket is born out of the material choices we made and what they offer. Firstly, we had some strong criteria for what we wanted to get out of the fabric. Breathability was very high up there, alongside a high level of water resistance, durability and the need to be lightweight. Moreover, an overriding factor for all of the criteria was our stance on sustainability of the fabric and avoiding PFAS, toxic forever chemicals - a founding commitment of the brand since our launch in 2020.” William Hurd, Creative Lead
Across our collection, we ensure that the performance of a garment is not compromised in the quest to handpick premium, durable fabrics that are less harmful than current popular performance fabrics. That principle is nowhere more important than in a rain jacket, where PFAS or ‘forever chemicals’ have long been the gold standard in rainwear performance and where the true environmental and human cost is high.
Our design team worked hard to create a fabric without a PTFE membrane that still had all of the right performance credentials. What we have ended up with is a very breathable, waterproof jacket that will stand the test of time without adding forever chemicals into our environment.
Designer William says: “We worked with a valued Taiwanese partner to create a three-layer fabric which offers the durability, weight and comfort against the skin that we were looking for. In addition, the face material is created from recycled nylon so it ticked our boxes on multiple levels to reduce the raw material impact.”
Sophie adds: “We wanted something very lightweight and easy to store when riding too, so we have made it packable enough so that you can stow it into your pockets. You can regulate your temperature and the fit of the jacket with the two-way zip, whilst the elasticated silicone hem gripper ensures the jacket positions itself around your waist.”
The final design criteria was that the jacket had to look great and be visible with large reflectives. The design aesthetic is clean and the colour palette designed to work well with any combination of kit. As with all our garments, there is gender parity in the variety of colours available for men and women.
