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Rain, rain, go away... or don't, I guess!
When I first stumbled upon Rains at a local boutique years ago, I was convinced that the apparel label was as born-and-bred in Vancouver as a pair of spandex yoga pants. It’s named after the city’s most recurring weather forecast, after all—not to mention every Vancouverite’s go-to topic of small talk!—and its range of streamlined and very water-proof coats, backpacks and accessories speak to our love of the functional and no-fuss. (Plus, it’s stocked at a startling number of indie and big-name shops, from Still Life and Kiss and Makeup to Nordstrom and Aritzia.)
It turns out, however, that Rains is actually from Denmark—a region that also gets its fair share of precipitation and is known for its simple Scandinavian aesthetic. But I’m ready to make the brand an honourary Vancouverite with the news that it’s opening its first (!) Canadian concept store at 227 Carrall Street in Gastown.
Slated for an early May opening, the store will carry Rains’s full line of men’s and women’s waterproof outerwear, bags and accessories, which come in a range of cheerful hues like mint, sunshine yellow and lilac. (There are also the standard blacks, olives and greys for the more reserved among us.) The shop will also be home to limited-edition products and collabs with brands like Opening Ceremony, Super and Vans.
It takes a site in Gastown formerly occupied by retailers such as Niftydo and Gentille Alouette, though a Rains rep tells VanMag that the brand has made an effort to maintain the store’s original facade to keep with “the historical architectural integrity of the neighbourhood.” That same rep also says that Vancouver is a natural fit for Rains’s first Canadian store, which means my earlier mix-up made total sense. “We’re setting our sights on this coastal seaport city, as Rains resonates with its mix of urban and natural lifestyle opportunities.”
Rains’s Gastown location will join the label’s list of more than 15 concept stores in cities such as Paris, Stockholm and New York City.
