THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL RAINCOAT?

One could argue that nothing is more beautiful than water. It gives life to everything. It makes things sparkle. It cools things down. It soothes our minds and bodies. Yet the lack of clean water kills more people than war. According to UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. The worldwide water crisis is getting steadily worse. ** Global water consumption doubles every twenty years, while the supply decreases due to drought, pollution, climate change, and hostile political situations.**

Photo: amandabhslater, "Rain Study 3"

 

Joshua Noble and Hyeona Yang, two innovative students at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, joined together to create something that could potentially help people in water-challenged areas get direct access to fresh purified water. Their invention, Raincatch, is a raincoat that functions as a mobile water purification device.  

 

 

Illustration: Joshua Noble, Hyeona Yang, & CIID

 

The Raincatch is a multitasking, fully functioning, gorgeous garment. As the user wears it, rain is collected in the collar of the coat, which then filters down the back of the coat, passing through its charcoal filters to be chemically purified. The clean water is stored around the hips of the coat in a clever, streamlined way that doesn’t sacrifice the form of the garment and allows the weight to be ergonomically carried. The coat’s plastic tubing, partially exposed and woven through the coat like lacing, delivers the goods. Just take a sip.

 

Photo: Joshua Noble, Hyeona Yang, & CIID

 

The design is remarkable. Utilitarian and edgy. Practical and cool. The possibilities for the Raincatch (and its impact) are endless. It could be a savior in water-challenged areas, providing at-risk, thirsty people with a personal mobile supply of fresh water, while it protects them from the weather.

We’re looking out for more beautiful new ideas about water. What have you found? And what have you created? Share them on our facebook wall.  And enter the BeautifulNow Competition this week ** (6.2.13 - 6.8.13) ***. Its Theme: Water.*