A water-resistant, 100% cotton, microplastic-free, PFAS-free hoodie powered by STORM COTTON™ technology that repels rain without sacrificing comfort or the planet.
Dovetail Workwear was born in the Pacific Northwest, so if there's one thing we know, it's rain. Not the occasional drizzle, but the kind of steady, all-day weather that makes or breaks whether you want to leave the house, let alone work in it. That's the gap the WaterStrider Rain Resistant Hoodie was built to fill.
"There are quite a few water resistant hoodies in the market for men, but there really hasn't been any for women, maybe a few, but none presently," says Sara DeLuca, Dovetail's co-founder and Director of Product Development. Hoodies are a core part of a work wardrobe, worn on their own or layered under a vest, and when the rain rolls in, most of them just soak it up. "It's really nice to have something that repels the water rather than soaks it in and makes you all wet," Sara says. The WaterStrider was designed to be that: a more versatile, weather resistant mid layer for a woman's work wardrobe.
The idea didn't come from one specific request so much as a pattern Dovetail kept hearing. "Hoodies are a core part of what a lot of women wear, and having something that's more water resistant is something people have asked for," Sara says. She knows the feeling firsthand. "Living in the Pacific Northwest, I will lament when it's pouring out and I have to put on a rain jacket, versus, if you're just ducking in and out or walking your dog, you can wear a water resistant hoodie and just head out."
Why STORM COTTON™ Technology?
Getting there meant solving a problem the industry has mostly ignored: water resistance in hoodies and fleeces almost always comes from synthetic blends, which means microplastics. "We're a very cotton, natural fiber-based brand in general," Sara says. "But when you get into water resistance, especially in fleeces or hoodies, often, if you want to do it with a common DWR, you're using a synthetic blend." STORM COTTON™ technology offered a different path: water resistance built into 100% cotton, with no microplastics and, as it turned out, better performance than standard treatments. "It wasn't just that we could bring out this microplastic-free option," Sara says, "we could also bring out a technology that was, in essence, much more effective."
Where standard DWR finishes tend to wash out within a handful of cycles, STORM COTTON™ technology holds up. It's proven to repel water even after 30 home washes, all without giving up the breathability that makes cotton comfortable to move and work in. It's PFAS-free, biodegrades far faster than polyester at the end of its life, and delivers on both fronts: the feel of cotton, and real weather protection.
"We developed STORM COTTON™ technology to give brands like Dovetail a cotton-based path to water resistance, and working with them on the WaterStrider has been a natural fit," says Jennifer Lukowiak, Director of Account Management at Cotton Incorporated.
Designed from the Ground Up
The WaterStrider's smaller details didn't come from a design mood board. They came from years of listening to the women who wear Dovetail's clothes. The hidden pocket inside the kangaroo pocket, for one, traces back to focus groups with female farmers who talked about how much they relied on pockets, big and small. "That pocket within a pocket was a way for us to take a traditional kangaroo pocket and make it more useful," Sara says. "I sometimes carry my credit cards and driver's license there. People will put their phone in there, sunglasses, reading glasses, you name it. It's a small thing, but it has exponential value in terms of keeping something secure."
The ponytail slit came out of those same conversations. "Women with longer hair get bunching at the back of their neck when they're wearing a hoodie," Sara says. "It's more of a comfort thing than anything, it lets you put your ponytail through instead of having your hair bunch up when you put the hood on." Reinforced elbows add durability, and a split hem at the bottom lets the hoodie, which is intentionally longer for full coverage, drape properly when you move or bend rather than riding up. Then there's the crossover neckline, one of Sara's favorite details: "The neck is less constrained, so it goes over easily when you're pulling it over your head. And it's also really cute and feminine."
What Wear Testers Had to Say
Feedback from wear testing was overwhelmingly positive, particularly around fit. "People loved the fit, and in particular, people loved the neckline, because it's very feminine and not constraining," Sara says. The one request that came back wasn't about performance at all: some testers wanted a shorter version of the hoodie. "No real surprises," Sara adds, "except for people being delighted and excited to finally have a water resistant option."
What's Next
The WaterStrider is just the beginning of where STORM COTTON™ technology could go at Dovetail. "As a cotton-rich brand, it offers us the ability to build STORM COTTON™ technology into a denim or a canvas or any of our cotton-based bottoms," Sara says. It's a request Dovetail hears often, since cotton and water resistance have historically been at odds. "If you're wearing a cotton pair of pants and you get them wet, they're going to stay wet all day long. People who want water repellency tend to stay away from cotton." STORM COTTON™ technology changes that equation: the breathability and hand feel of cotton, no synthetics, and real water repellency. "It's kind of a magic scenario," she says.
The WaterStrider Rain Resistant Hoodie is available now in Atlantic Blue, Patina Green, and Black at dovetailworkwear.com and select retailers.
STORM COTTON™ and the Seal of Cotton are trademarks of Cotton Incorporated.
