Despite early indications Spring was en route, the weather here is back to a groaning mix of rain and slush. I admit to daily wails of distress. But you know who laughs at meteorological distress? Swedes. Swedes are used to rainy grayness just about year-round. So, as you can imagine, they make a pretty good raincoat. Alexander Stutterheim launched his namesake company two years ago, making luxury raincoats modeled after his grandfather’s fishing jacket. (The flagship model, the Arholma, is named for the island where gramps used to fish.) They’re hand-sewn, wind- and waterproof, and, as importantly, very sharp, which is no doubt why they’ve caught the eye of discerning buyers at Project No. 8, where they’re currently stocked, and Barneys and San Francisco’s Unionmade, where they’ll debut this Spring. For those who can’t wait, they’re already available on Stutterheim’s Web site for shipping to the U.S., in unisex models and a pretty cute ladies’ cape. They won’t part the clouds, but they will protect you from them. In any case, the company makes a case for blue moods being more productive than blue skies. “What if August Strindberg, Ingmar Bergman, Karin Boye, and hundreds of other famous Swedish artists had lived their lives in a state of perpetual bliss? Would they still have produced such fantastic work?” their mission statement starts. “Let’s embrace Swedish melancholy. Embracing rain is a good start.” Oh, okaaaay.
—Matthew Schneier
Photo: Courtesy of Stutterheim
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