Wow, where to begin!?

I was absolutely blown away by the response to The Dundee Raincoat, an exclusive raincoat made in collaboration with Halley Stevensons for the V&A Dundee in October 2020. Within weeks we were talking about creating the second edition due to its success and here we are with the launch of the second edition less than 9 months later!

I have to take a step back and remember what a big achievement and honour it has been to work on this collaboration. To be the designer asked to fulfil this project has been amazing.

So let’s go into more detail about the inspirations behind the 2nd edition, how it came about and the range of ‘zero-waste accessories that have been designed to minimise textile waste and compliment the collection.

The 2nd Edition Dundee Raincoat in Charcoal. Photography by Julie Howden

How did it come about?

As I’ve mentioned above, we really did start talking about the possibility of a 2nd edition as soon as a few weeks after the first release, it sold out really quickly and we wanted to respond to the demand and excitement of the first fashion collaboration to have gone in the museum.

The inspiration and fabrics behind the range.

I wanted to build on all the inspirations I used for the first piece and really highlight the heritage and history we have here in Dundee and use this platform to spread that out into the world! The key inspiration of my design comes from V&A Dundee’s building itself: sleek design, clean lines, minimal but bold. As well as the museum’s modern architecture having a big influence on the design of the coat, I also wanted the design to reflect the city’s heritage, ongoing resilience and creativity. I talk a bit more about it here. The colour choices were chosen to reflect the Jute industry that Dundee is so well known for. This ties in with Halley Stevensons, which is the waxed cotton innovators I have worked with on this collaboration (and I use A LOT of waxed cotton in my original designs). For nearly 200 years, Dundee’s prosperity was dependent on the textile industry and was the largest jute manufacturer in the world. Halley's textile journey began in 1864, originating as a jute weaving mill as part of the industrial revolution. (See more information here. The charcoal waxed cotton made me imagine the smoke billowing from the jute factories and the yellow was originally waxed cotton more similar to the jute colour but I wanted to go a little bolder and brighter to also reflect Dundee’s sunny title.

I’m all about the finer details and one of my favourite details on this is the inner logo which features an original archive image from the days when Halley Stevensons was still operating as a Jute Mill. I love the thought of people wearing this coat and carrying around a small piece of Dundee history with them wherever they are in the world (I was recently sent a photo of someone in their first edition raincoat in Canada!).

The collar and inner detail is contrasting and I have added a brand new detail at the collar which is a triple stitch detail that I felt reflected the precision, parallel lines and structure of the wonderful architecture of the museum building itself.

The Dundee tartan I have used features as a turn-up cuff detail, the extra benefit of this is that it can be worn up or down to give the coat even more versatility, this is complemented by a handy tartan coat loop on the inner side of the coat.

The Dundee Raincoat is a unisex design that is available from XS - 2XL, you can see the size guide here.

A close up look at the inner logo which features an archive image of Halley Stevensons whilst it was still operating as a jute mill and each coat is numbered in this limited edition.

The 2nd Edition Dundee Raincoat in Mustard. Photography by Julie Howden

Zero-Waste

As a designer, I am always thinking about how I can reduce waste and better design my products to help reduce our impact on the planet. Having talked about the possibility of including accessories in the range, I was really excited and passionate about making the focus of these designs about ‘zero-waste. The coin wallets and washbag have all been created using offcuts of waxed cotton from the cutting of the raincoats. Each purse is made using 1-2 panels of waxed cotton, varying depending on what offcuts were available to me and the zero waste wash bags utilised the offcuts to create an aesthetically pleasing fabric using both colours that is not only really handy, each one is completely unique! Each accessory from the range is fully lined in contrasting blue cotton which has also been sourced from Halley Stevensons and features a sturdy silver metal zip and the signature KerrieALDO logo.

How can you get your hands on one?

This collection is exclusively available at V&A Dundee and can be bought either at the museum itself or online.

If you would like to visit the museum to see these in the flesh just remember you will need to book a free timeslot due to the current restrictions. This can be done through the link below.

Book a timeslot at V&A

Or you can browse online through the link below.

shop online

The Dundee Raincoat: 2nd Edition