The rainy season plus the chilling bites of the winter solstice often results into an over-reliance to drab protection against the weather.
However, not if the Portland-based accessories company Shed Rain has something to do with it, especially in their recently announced artist-made umbrella designs dubbed "The Artist Series."
One of Shed Rain's collaborator-artists, Lisa Congdon, whose colorful designs are now available in the company's online catalog starting last Jan. 24.
'Rainy Day Style'
According to the Shed Rain website, the company has "hand-selected" multi-disciplinary artists across the communities of Portland and New York. Among these creatives are Lisa Congdon, StudioProba, and Katie Merz.
Congdon is an internationally acclaimed illustrator and author with over ten titles under her name, which includes her best-selling book "Art Inc: The Essential Guide to Building Your Career as an Artist." Her style of choice? Colors, colors, and colors.
Another of the artists the company has worked with is StudioProba, which was founded by Alex Proba in 2013. Like its collaborator, the art studio is similarly based in Portland with a Brooklyn offshoot studio focusing on other design disciplines.
As for its founder, Proba, her creative inclination lies more with the "exploration of emotions," celebrating it through patterned designs and "positive stimulation of the senses."
The third and final artist-collaborator that Shed Rain worked with is Kati Merz, a Brooklyn-born muralist whose inspirations include the city she grew up in, cartoons, and even architecture. She is renowned all over the country for her art style which is reminiscent of the late Keith Haring's.
Shed Rain has already launched the sale for its umbrella collaboration with Congdon dubbed "SR x Lisa Congdon Reverse Close Stick Umbrella" last Wednesday, Jan. 24. As for StudioProba's, it will be released on Feb. 21, while Katie Merz's will be on March 20.
These designs will reportedly cost $50 and will feature a uniquely designed double-layered canopy created using a polyester fabric that was recycled from plastic water bottles.
In addition, the umbrellas will also feature a fiberglass and steel-reinforced frame alongside reverse-close technology, which keeps water inside while closed and ensures the user will not get accidentally splashed when it's not in use.
If you're interested in checking out the unique designs within Shed Rain's "The Artist Series," click here.
