PETRICHOR
A paper by Norwegian Rain
A SARTORIAL TAKE ON WATERPROOF, EXTREME OUTERWEAR INSPIRED BY JAPANESE SENSIBILITY & LIFE IN THE RAINIEST CITY OF EUROPE
i
Petrichor (/ˈpɛtrɨkər/) is the scent of rain
on dry earth. The word is constructed from
Greek, petra, meaning stone + ichor, the fluid
that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek
mythology. It is defined as “the distinctive
scent which accompanies the first rain after a
long warm dry spell”.
Extreme rainwear technology meets
Japanese simplicity and traditional men’s
tailoring.
CITY OF BERGEN
The gateway to the beautiful fjords, home
of the charming hanseatic wharfs, the fish
market... That is your typical description of
Bergen, a western coastal town of norway.
Which is all very true and more than so too.
However Bergen is more than that. Situated
between 7 mountains has its positive attributes and also some challenging ones. It was
the playwright Ludvig Holberg who felt so
inspired by the seven hills of Rome, that he
decided that his home town must be blessed with a corresponding seven mountains.
­ ocals still argue about which mountains
L
make up the seven. The mountains literally
meets the city streets. Picturesque. The mountains and the woods are no more than 3 minutes away from the ­urban streets. Refreshing.
The 7 mountains controls the clouds in a peculiar manner thus causes generous amounts
of precipitation. Raining 2 out of 3 days.
Some people will say that is excessive.
­Others will curse at it. Others will relocate.
For the ones that stay (or relocate to ­Bergen)
the rain, the mountains, the fjords provide a
fertile ground for creative thinking.
WWW.LOOKBOOK.NORWEGIANRAIN.COM
WWW.NORWEGIANRAIN.COM
TO SEE OUR CURRENT RANGE OF STYLES AND COLOURS,
PLEASE VISIT OUR ONLINE LOOKBOOK.
FOR A GLIMPSE BEHIND THE SCENES: @TMICHAEL_BERGEN / @NORWEGIANRAIN
SONJA IN NOIR FEMME, AVAILABLE IN 7 COLOURS.
PETRICHOR
I/ VIII
PETRICHOR NO1
A PA P E R B Y N O R W E G I A N R A I N
THE
HISTORY
The unlikely meeting of the Bespoke Tailor
and the business graduate
THE SEARCH FOR A SOLUTION TO
A LIFE IN THE RAIN
FROM LEFT: DESIGNER / BESPOKE TAILOR T-MICHAEL & FOUNDER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR ALEXANDER HELLE
Slowly and steadily, in the rainiest city of
Europe, a rain project has evolved into an
award-winning designer label based on
the concept of dugnad*.
In center, the duo; Bespoke tailor / designer T-Michael - known for his conceptual
approach to his hand- craft, and creative
director Alexander Helle – a business graduate, that founded the rain project based
on flourishing collabs between local expertise from the creative scene of Bergen.
Raining 2 out of 3 days inspired the duo to
balance fine tailoring techniques and 100
% waterproof, eco fabrics to create raincoats that don’t look like raincoats. Classic
and experimental. Come rain or shine. The
high tech is hidden!
32 year old founder and creative director
Alexander Helle is born and raised in Bergen, a city in Norway known for its heavy
rain, underground music scene and the encapsulating 7 mountains that brings wild
nature all the way into the city streets. Living in Bergen means a life in rain. You can
hate it or love it, but no matter how you
approach it, one thing is certain: It will rain
tomorrow. Or the day after. 2 out of 3 days.
A sojourn in Milan initiated the inspirational idea of merging tradition, technology
and style. With dry living as motivation,
he went home to join forces with local
expertise. When bespoke tailor / designer T-Michael came onboard the project
­materialized. Michael’s 17 years of tailoring and experience as owner and creative
director of T-MICHAEL, balanced Alex’s
“definitely this year’s most stylish
way to stay dry”
GQ 2013,
ASSOCIATE EDITOR ROBERT JOHNSTON
*
”DUGNAD” IS AN OLD NORWEGIAN TERM FOR PEOPLE GETTING TOGETHER AND
V O L U N TA R I LY W O R K I N G T O W A R D S A C O M M O N G O A L T H AT B E N E F I T S T H E C O M M U N I T Y, N E I G H B O U R H O O D O R A N I N D I V I D U A L . O R I G I N A L LY T H I S T E R M E X P R E S S E D T H E
F R I E N D LY S P I R I T O F P E O P L E H E L P I N G E A C H O T H E R O U T W H E N A F O U N D AT I O N , B A R N
O R F E N C E N E E D E D T O B E B U I LT.
PETRICHOR
II / VIII
degree in Master of Business and brought
depth to the ideas. A versatile duo full of
contrasts was born. Drop by drop, the rain
project evolved into a joined workmanship between rain-drenched creatives of
Bergen including the graphic design studio, Grandpeople and photographer Bent
René Synnevåg.
From AW13, Norwegian Rain will be retailed in independent stores in 20 countries and worldwide through their web
store @ www.norwegianrain.com
PETRICHOR NO1
A PA P E R B Y N O R W E G I A N R A I N
THE
PEOPLE
I N V OLV ED I N N O R WE G I A N R A I N
T-MICHAEL
ANTI &
GRANDPEOPLE
BESPOKE TAILOR/
DESIGNER
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
“...quirky object d’arts
juxtaposes the clean no fuss
designs.“
A quick 2 minutes stroll away from the commercial center of Bergen will take you to the
vibrant pint size street called Skostredet.
There you will find a shop window that
stands out from the rest. A space that has
inspired over the years. Once inside, the
unique universe of sumptuous shirts, sharp
suits and leather goods to crave for welcomes you to a different kind of a shopping
experience.
The quirky object d’arts juxtaposes the
clean no fuss designs. This is the studio of
Bespoke tailor and designer T-Michael.
“The Anti & Grandpeople +
Norwegian Rain winning formula
was created from the very get go.”
T-Michael has collaborated with Kirk originals and is 1/7 member of the groundbreaking Art Comes First COAL project
launched at Pitti Uomo January 2013 in
Florence. The carry all bag designed for the
project redefines functionality. A leather bag
that stylishly helps you to travel light.
Furthering his love for creativity ­T-Michael
has also written, produced, designed and co
directed 3 short films including the ACF
COAL .
Current projects include a collaboration
with Nick Hart of Spencer Hart, Savile Row
on a range of footwear.
F O G O I S L A N D , N E W F O U N D L A N D . L O N G S T U D I O B Y A R C H I T E C T: T O D D
S A U N D E R S , P H O T O : B E N T R E N É S Y N N E VÅ G .
BENT RENÉ
SYNNEVÅG
PHOTOGRAPHER
Grandpeople is an award winning Norwegian, multi-disciplinary design studio offering creative solutions to clients worldwide.
They specialize in graphic design, illustration and creative direction. Starting out
straight out of school, these then 3 young
men, quickly gained avid followers after
being profiled in Grafik Magazine through
a 10 page feature. The constellation has
changed over time, and the company has
evolved. They recently merged with another
award winning studio Anti to create Anti &
Grandpeople. It takes two to Pinpg Pong, as
they put it themselves.
Anti & Grandpeople has a broad diversity
in client experience – from soft drinks, lifestyle, culture, telecom to art, fashion, music
and entertainment.
Their client base include Nike USA, Nike
Europe, Converse, Microsoft, Sony, Pepsi
International, Canal Digital.
Norwegian Rain is proud to be ping ponging with Anti Grandpeople.
ANTI.AS
@ANTIGRANDPEOPLE
Believing in the power of developing visual
languages, they provide clients not only
with aesthetic graphic solutions, but with a
visual voice that provide relevant, original
and successful solutions.
ABOVE: WARSAME IN DOUBLE BREASTED
LEFT: SINGLE BREASTED
RIGHT: NUTTER´S PETRICHOR
BOTTOM: SONJA IN RAINCHO
“He created the distinct visual
ambiance, which is associated with the
images of Arne&Carlos.”
Ghanaian born T-Michael moved to Bergen
after years in London.
A well-known face that is greeted by ­almost
everyone that walks by on this cosy street.
His conceptual approach to ­
tailoring has
earned him fans and clients worldwide.
Blurring the lines between bespoke tailoring
and ready to wear is the departure point for
T-Michael. The contemporary and the traditional, the vibrant and the stealth, these
are key points that are commonplace in
T-Michael’s work. Whether he is working on
his own collections or designing Norwegian
Rain coats, the mood remains the same;
high standard manufacturing techniques
laced with refined detailing. Sometimes
tongue in cheek.
The Spencer Hart by T-Michael footwear
will be presented along side ­Spencer Hart’s
tailoring collection at the London Collection: men SS14 in L
­ ondon this June.
For AW 2014, T-Michael will be offering at
his stores at Skostredet and Oslo, “The Staples”. A selection of key menswear pieces.
These key pieces can also be found online.
Enter the T-MICHAEL universe!
T-MICHAEL.COM
@TMICHAEL_BERGEN
T H E D R I V I N G O U T F I T B Y T- M I C H A E L / P H O T O : B E N T R E N É S Y N N E VÅ G
The work of Bent René Synnevåg spans
from Norwegian tongue-in-cheek electronic- dance band Datarock to the British
Fashion Council Menswear Designer of the
Year nominee 2006 Siv Støldal. Touching
on Hansen Garments and Arne&Carlos. He
created the distinct visual ambiance, which is
associated with the images of Arne&Carlos.
He has also worked with London based
Bergen designer Kristian Aadnevik and he
is of course the photographer of choice for
Norwegian Rain and T-Michael whom he
first met in 2002.
Bent René Synnevåg started working with
renowned architect Todd Saunders some
years back and has documented most of Mr
Saunders’s work. His pictures has made it
to the prestigious architectural magazines
like: Domus, Condé Nast Traveler, Frame,
A10, Wallpaper, Vogue Australia Interior,
A´A´A, Häuser, A d´Interni, Finacial Times,
Where To Go, Mason Journal, DHD, IW
Mag., DI Mag, Recidence, Grand Design,
New York Times, LA China, Mark, Icon,
Architectural Digest etc…
For current colours
and styles, visit our online
lookbook:
This year, Swiss architecture and design
publisher Birkhaüser released a monograph
of Todd Saunders’ work. Based in Bergen
Norway, award-winning Canadian architect
Todd Saunders has built work in N
­ orway,
Finland and Canada. Todd Saunders:
­Architecture in Northern Landscapes covers his work over the last decade. The simple
yet powerful aesthetic of the book mirrors the
elegance of Saunders’ own architectural style
and compliments the potency of the natural
settings in which his work is often situated.
Mr Synnevaag documents most of all the
buildings in this beautiful book.
N I K E B A S K E T B A L L C A M PA I G N B Y A N T I & G R A N D P E O P L E
Bent Rene Synnevaag’s complete work
on Todd Saunders’s Fogo Island project
(­Shorefast Foundation and the Fogo Island
Arts Corporation) can be seen on his website.
NOTBENT.COM
@NOTBENT
F O G O I S L A N D , N E W F O U N D L A N D , P H O T O : B E N T R E N É S Y N N E VÅ G .
PETRICHOR
IV / VIII
PRINT BY ANTI & GRANDPEOPLE
W W W. L O O K B O O K . N O R W E G I A N R A I N .C O M
ABOVE LEFT: NUTTER´S PETRICHOR +
ABOVE RIGHT: RAINCHO
RIGHT: SINGLE BREASTED
BOTTOM: SONJA IN RAINCHO
OPPOSITE PAGE: SONJA IN SOHO
SONJA IN SOHO FEMME
PETRICHOR
ECOLOGY
High performance garments made
of recycled material.
R E CYC L E D
The hi-tech, recyclable fabrics (including the membrane) from Japan
is made of 100% recycled fibers and organic cotton. No solvents
are used in the production of the membrane, waste is eliminated,
oil and energy consumption are decreased, while CO2 emissions
are reduced by approximately 80% compared to normal production.
The term Petrichor was coined in 1964 by two Australian researchers, Bear and Thomas, for an article in the journal Nature.In the article, the authors describe how the smell derives from an oil exuded
by certain plants during dry periods, whereupon it is absorbed
by clay-based soils and rocks. During rain, the oil is released into
the air along with another compound, geosmin, a metabolic by-­
product of bacteria, which is emitted by wet soil, producing the
distinctive scent; ozone may also be present if there is lightning.
In a follow-up paper, Bear and Thomas (1965) showed that the oil
retards seed germination and early plant growth. This would indicate that the plants exude the oil in order to safeguard the seeds
from germination under duress.
AWARDS
TECHNOLOGY
B R E AT H A B L E
WINDPROOF
Nominee “International Woolmark Prize 2014”
Winners of “Award for Design Excellence 2012” Norway
Nominee “Honors Award for Design Excellence 2012”
“Designer of the Year 2012” Naaloyet - Norway
2nd runner up “Entrepreneur of the world within
creative industries” CBC 2012
“Talented Newcomer 2010” Vogue Italia & WHITE
WAT E R P R O O F
Norwegian Rain has teamed up with specialists in rainwear making and leading eco-conscious suppliers in the industry. The collections conceal some of the highest level of weather protection
available. Each garment consists of three layers; a highly water­repellent outer shell. A high tech waterproof and breathable membrane laminated to the inside of the garment. The third layer is
the satin lining. This keeps the technical and the high-performance
­aspects hidden. A heat-sealing film is applied to each seam to eliminate water seeping through the perforations caused by the sewing
process. Additionally each garment has a basic, yet ­functional construction that increases ventilation whilst keeping water out.
STYLING
EMELY CATHERINA SKJELBRED MURRAY
PHOTO
BENT RENÉ SYNNEVÅG
MAKE-UP
BEATE TARANGER
DESIGN
ANTI & GRANDPEOPLE
HEAD OF INT. SALES
RUSSIAN MARKET /
LIVE SHOWROOM MILAN
Wesley Swolfs
[email protected]
+45 22 25 43 48
Alessandro Ricci
[email protected]
+39 3664 52 8442
PURPLE PR LONDON
Sonal Nayee
[email protected]
+44 20 74 34 70 49
NORDIC SALES MANAGER
Morten Solberg Anfinsen
[email protected]
+47 98 22 51 56
DISTRIBUTOR JAPAN /
UNIT & GUEST CO., LTD
General Manager /
Takenari Sato
[email protected]
+81 3 3710 3107
SINGLE BREASTED MANDARIN
STYLES
A
NUTTER´S PETRICHOR
Tommy Nutter’s, approach to mens’ tailoring has captivated many. Including us at Norwegian Rain. The scent of rain and Nutter’s approach to
tailoring is our departure point. A tailored jacket that protects you from
the elements without loosing it’s dapper-esque edge.
E
THE DOUBLE BREASTED
Military style inspired coat with emphasis on ceremonial duties rather
than battle. Strong, bold, yet fluid and elegant. This coat empowers you
against the elements in an urban setting. Stylistic man against the cold,
wind and rain
B
NUTTER´S PETRICHOR +
In this jacket, the scent of rain will always be welcomed. Choose a longer
version for a more directional look
F
NOIR HOMME
A masculine version of Noir femme. We added a dash more masculinity
and it became majestic with dark undertones.
I
SOHO FEMME
C
THE SINGLE BREASTED – CLASSIC
A classic single breasted coat. Hidden front placket.
100% waterproof. 100% stylish. The first garment from Norwegian Rain. A
simple well cut, easy to wear, and easy to style. Versatile in all it’s simplicity, proving that less is always more!
G
THE RAINCHO
Born on a napkin on a street café in Paris, upping the ante on the seethrough poncho. This is a sculptural, Japanese inspired unisex garment
that belts up to be feminine and quirky or left loose to bold and drapey.
Meet The Raincho
J
D
SINGLE BREASTED MANDARIN COAT.
Light and breezy. It might just rain. Perhaps not. This single breasted coat
with a ‘sawn off’ collar lightens up the mood without loosing the edge
H
NOIR FEMME
Our first women’s raincoat evolved from T-Michael’s (designer and
bespoke tailor in the designer duo of NR) own archive. Feminine yet masculine. With elements from the raincho, this piece can be worn either well
fitted or loose yet sculptural. Soft and sensual with dark undertones.
SOHO FEMME MANDARIN
i
WWW.LOOKBOOK.NORWEGIANRAIN.COM
WWW.NORWEGIANRAIN.COM
ALL COATS ARE AVAILABLE IN
7 COLORS AND FABRICS. TO SEE OUR CURRENT RANGE OF STYLES AND COLOURS,
PLEASE VISIT OUR ONLINE LOOKBOOK.
FOR A GLIMPSE BEHIND THE SCENES:
@TMICHAEL_BERGEN / @NORWEGIANRAIN
ALL INCLUDE HOOD AND BELT.
Simple lines, elegantly waisted, belted and tightly collared.
Meet Soho, she is feminine yet with a masculine presence.
She makes you keep your poise on a beautiful day and will even make
you feel fabulous on a wet day! Men’s tailoring for her
Sharply tailored as before. This time without the collar. Stands out even
without the collar stand
COAT C-F IS AVAILABLE IN
TWO LENGTHS – MID AND KNEE LENGTH