Rains Is Redefining Its Identity Beyond Raincoats

“People still associate us with traditional, classical rainwear,” says Rains’ co-founder Daniel Brix Hesselager, “and that’s only a minority of what we do today. That’s the biggest misconception people make.” He speaks just moments after unveiling the label’s Autumn/Winter 2025 show, which is a pivotal juncture in more ways than one. The event marks not only the brand’s tenth runway presentation since its 2012 inception, when founders Hesselager and Philip Lotko first brought their vision to life, but also its first since stepping away from the clamouring Paris Fashion Week circuit, and the debut of its expansive new headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark – the hometown of its founders and the heart of Rains’ evolution.

Any lingering notion that Rains is a niche, fledgling outerwear brand is dispelled by the sheer scale of its new home. Spanning 11,000 square metres, the facility could be mistaken for a contemporary art gallery in its jaw-dropping scale and beauty. Rain – both symbolically and functionally – runs through its core: a rainwater distribution system channels water across the grounds, sustaining the surrounding landscape. At the heart of the building, a vast 6,000-square-metre warehouse rises behind glass walls, its towering metal shelves stacked with stock. As is the tradition for these ‘homecoming’ shows, the guest list was kept intentionally intimate –  just 40 attendees – and in the grandeur of this lofty industrial cathedral where Rains unveiled its latest collection, Forever, that number felt even smaller.

The collection posed a question in its press notes: “How do we weather difficult moments and stay true to ourselves?” It’s impossible not to connect that with the challenges people around the world are facing today, and the answer is supposedly a sense of resilience, by equipping oneself with all the tools to confront what lies ahead. ‘Weathering’ can be taken more literally here, and not just for simplicity’s sake – the city of Aarhus averages approximately 142.6 days of rain per year, so waterproofs are a must – but the collection also comes with a swallow-you-whole paddedness, forming an armour for the strife of today, beyond the forecast.

Signature PU waterproof jackets are given big, swaggering shoulders; hoods are worn over padded hoods, and puffed-up coats have an unhemmed outer layer so the quilting beneath looks like some skeletal framework. Fluffy textures oppose shiny, plasticky textiles, and belts constricted the models, turning otherwise ordinary but essentialist jackets into something leaner and meaner. Each piece offers a kind of armour for the uncertainty of now. And in times like these, that matters.

The collection was crafted by head of design Johanne Dindler, a Royal College of Art graduate with experience in-house at Moncler Genius, KTZ and Adidas. “I think what is so beautiful about Rains is that we speak to such a broad audience,” she says. “We’re accessible, and we speak to someone who is super fashion forward and the high concept level that we have within the brand – but at the same time, we also speak to consumers that come to us for a practical backpack, or a rain jacket to protect you when you’re going for a walk with your dog.”

In this case, Rains’ broad appeal feels decisive, self-assured and not vague. There really is something for everyone – and it helps that, beyond Aarhus, there are approximately 35 more countries that average over 150 rainy days per year. “As shown with Forever, we don’t want to stand still. Our next celebration might be back in our headquarters; it might be a collaboration, a new flagship, or it might be taking place halfway across the world,” says Lotko. The foundations have been built solid, concrete as the headquarters they stand in. Now, it’s about climbing higher.