72andSunny say #PrayforRain; The Wetter the Better

As the winter months draw closer and colder, you can bet that the clouds will get darker and heavier. But Dutch agency 72andSunny is confident that wet weather ain’t that bad, suggesting we should change our attitude and embrace the rain instead.

What could possibly put a smile on your face, I hear you ask, when it’s wet and windy outside and you’re battling the elements on your daily commute… by bike.

Well, the agency has found a way to brighten up your day and guarantee sunshine whatever the weather thanks to the launch of its first project created in-house, the rain onesie – aka RAYNSIE.

Aimed at cyclists, the debut RAYNSIE collection - made of six designs, inspired by Dutch food. The team has committed three years to the project, bringing everyone at the agency on-board and even testing out prototypes on some of the less-involved members.

Brightly-coloured, bursting with character and featuring beaming reflective patches, the suits allow cyclists to be safe and seen as they ride in style, remaining dry even when it’s raining.

Last night marked the product’s official launch in London, which even featured the brand’s ambassador Dutch rapper, Donnie. Look out for the follow-up launch in Amsterdam early next month.

shots caught up with 72andSunny’s managing director Nic Owen, creative director Rey Andrade and the brand’s director and start-up fashion consultant Valentina Mandozzi to find out exactly how and why the project  came about. Follow the #PRAYFORRAIN hashtag to follow the RAYNSIE hype. 

How did the idea to launch RAYNSIE first come about?

Owen: We started this project three and a half years ago when the agency consisted of just 24 people and we had just one and a half clients. We had a lot of spare time to do things for ourselves. We’re very lucky and privileged to be based in Amsterdam, so we challenged the agency to come up with something that we could do that's tangible - as we do a lot of digital work - but that is also beneficial to the city. We received lots of weird and wonderful ideas but the RAYNSIE one hands down.

Andrade: We weanted to give something back to the city, share what have we learnt from it and learn something new too.

And what inspired the idea?

Owen: Two designers and an editor came up with this idea, knowing that Amsterdam is famous for its rain and bikes. They had the fun idea to create a rain suit that was super technical, super light and super bright. We identified a gap in the market – there’s loads of cheap stuff that you look terrible in; there’s lots of high end technical stuff for hikers but there's not really anything for everyday rain wear.

Andrade: Amsterdam is such a bike-orientated city, so it had to be practical. The city’s pragmatism with cycling is really inspiring but the Dutch are still very fun with it. Which totally inspired the design – we wanted something to solve all of these problems. Also because you’re on a bike every day in Amsterdam, you never really lose sight of what it feels like to be a kid as you always just jump on your bike to ride home.

Why did the agency decide to get behind the idea and create it in-house?

Owen: We wanted to stretch our creativity and to learn our limits. We're always pro-learning; I think that curiosity makes life more fun. There’s a sort of pride to all of us, the broader team and the agency itself because of what we've achieved with RAYNSIE; it’s our baby. We wanted to birth it and let everyone play around with it. Everyone’s touched it in some way, even indirectly. We had a core team of about 20 people bu others got involved in torture-testing the product.

How did you approach it?

Owen: We initially looked at it from an agency perspective but knew there were limitations to our knowledge - such as the go-to-market strategy for launching a real project. Which is why we decided to bring in Valentina. She has broad experience at getting products into markets and helped us make it happen.

How did you get involved Valentina?

Mandozzi: I joined about two years ago. We started from scratch; working out what the style and performance of the product should be. It was a work in progress though; we had three prototypes which we tested it on almost everyone at the agency. We wanted something that would protect you from the rain, something that was breathable but something that also looked good and was safe. There are reflectors on the pockets, on the arms and the back. The whole suit weighs less than 500grams, so it’s very easy to keep in your bag. And the hood comes back more than most cycle hoods to allow for greater visibility - and it adjusts to fit over a helmet. It really taps into all the common problems faced by cyclists.

How important was it to insert a bit of Dutch culture (like the Hagelslag sprinkles, pictured below) into the product?

Andrade: Dutchies are innately very positive, which was something we definitely wanted to incorporate into the design. We played with the spirit of Dutch food, but it’s still a bit abstract. We’re giving people a little insight into the Dutch culture but we didn’t want to put too much of an overt message into it – it’s more sensorial.

Owen: And why did we choose to feature the Hagelslag? Well bread is so idiosyncratically Dutch and the chocolate sprinkles are part of every day life.

How did the partnership with KTC come about and at what point did you bring them on board?

Mandozzi: We stressed a lot about quality because we wanted to have a premium product that would live up to its competitors. We were looking for premium partners throughout Europe as we wanted to control the supply chain but actually the best technology for this type of garments exists in China. So we contacted KTC who also have strong ethical values and proven expertise.

Owen: It was vital for us to work ethically; there’s a lot of worth in this product in terms of the thought that’s gone into it so we didn't want to comprise on manufacturing. 

What did you learn from working on this project?

Mandozzi: The expectations of timing; we’re used to working at a fast pace but in the manufacturing business, it takes months for a product to develop; to customise and print the fabrics for example, as well as sampling. So there’s a lot of planning involved.

Andrade: We often operate at a very quick pace – and we had to make a lot of financial choices along the way, which is something that we’re not usually involved with. The whole process helped us to gain a deeper understanding of the brands that we work with and the journey that they take to get to market. I treated the project as if it was a start-up and although we learnt many practical skills, I think the experience also taught us how to work smarter together and embrace that entrepreneurial spirit that we pride ourselved on.

And do you have any other creative ventures in the pipeline?

Andrade: We’re definitely keen to launch other collections – also inspired by the Dutch culture. We’re playing with other themes, like seasons, to see where we’ll find our next inspiration. We’re also doing a cross promotional thing through Donnie with RAYNSIE in his next video - it's a way to promote the brand in a fun way.

Owen: We’d definitely consider doing something else similar; but let’s just see what happens. We’ve got 600 suits in the capsule collection, so we have to sell some units first – then we’d like to think of ourselves as an open, entrepreneurial place that supports these sort of passion projects.