Raincoat Gallery

Children play outside the old Gannex factory in Elland

Children play outside the old Gannex factory in Elland, Yorkshire, England. The waterproof Gannex raincoats became fashion icons after being worn by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson. They were worn by The Queen, Nikita Krushchev and other world leaders. The factory was demolished in 2010. The Sunday Times Date: 1988

© Philip Dunn / Mary Evans Picture Library

Japanese Water Carrier

Japanese Water Carrier ('Coolie'). Note the traditional costume of a rice farmer. He wears a reed cape (Mino), a traditional Japanese garment, a raincoat made out of straw. Traditional mino are an article of outerwear covering the entire body, although shorter ones resembling grass skirts were also historically used to cover the lower body alone. Date: 1903

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection

Rural Types, Japan - Traditional costume - Mino raincoat

Rural Types, Japan - Traditional costume of a rice farmer and his wife. He wears a traditional reed cape (Mino) and carries a hoe over his shoulder as he walks to tend his paddy field. A mino is a traditional Japanese garment, a raincoat made out of straw. Traditional mino are an article of outerwear covering the entire body, although shorter ones resembling grass skirts were also historically used to cover the lower body alone. Date: circa 1903

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection