I was with one of my rainwear contacts from regnfrakker.dk some while ago and during our good exchange of rainwear information we came across the rainwear we see in the streets in Denmark.
While my friend often saw Stutterheim, Rains and other pretty new products from rainwear producers in the streets it was a little more seldom to see really old rainwear in the streets of Copenhagen. I am myself not that often in Copenhagen or other larger cities in Denmark, so for me it is even more rare to watch.
Where has all that old rainwear gone? Well, looking at music festivals in Denmark some of the owners are flashing that rainwear during one week or two in Denmark during the summer. But not much more. Maybe the rainwear was disposed due to environmental matters? Maybe it is not fashionable anymore? Maybe not too comfortable anymore and therefore going to newer brands like Rains (soft PU instead of heavy PVC)?
Then it struck us that we - two collectors from Denmark - alone store more than 1,500 raincoats plus rubber boots, waders, rainpants! Maybe even more. We do not really know the true amount. Of course this might occur that 1,500 women and men did NOT find any rare piece of rainwear in their local second hand shop. 1,500 persons, who must find other rainwear options - like Stutterheim, Rains and Tretorn.
So in the end we are maybe guilty ourselves in hindering a lot of rainwear interested fashion people in walking around in cities of Denmark - not being able to wear the nice rainwear we have at home on hangers in a remote and cold storages. Never seeing the daylight unless our partners tends to wear it occasionally.
The 1,500+ rainwear pieces are only us two. What about your collection? Does that collection contain like 20-25 pieces - unique raincoats? And how many does have a collection of 20-25 pieces? Well, do not really know but we guess hundreds of persons in EU alone! This adds up to thousands of raincoats in total. Living a quiet life in a cupboard or a box in the basement. Maybe in a closet, hopefully.
Maybe a very 'odd discussion', but we think the amount of collectors we are in the community really makes a big influence having these collections.
What do you think?