Umbrella-Upcycling Brands

Solving global warming takes more than just trees

R-Coat is an innovative and sustainable brand that was launched in 2021 by Anna Masiello and Yasmin Medeiros. The business is built on an eco-conscious strategy of upcycling discarded, lost, and/or broken umbrellas.

It all started with Anna Masiello acting on the knowledge that there is a whopping excess of one billion forgotten and unused umbrellas in the world every year. She started picking umbrellas up from the streets of Lisbon and then reworked the fabric into usable polyester canopies. To date, R-Coat has turned over 2,000 umbrellas into windbreakers, jackets, hats, and shorts. Additional material for these garments comes from a local textile factory's deadstock fabric.

For the holidays, R-Coat got festive and offered a collection of upcycled tree ornaments made with detergent bottle lids and umbrella fabric, of course.

Image Credit: R-Coat