Sitting in her airy open-plan flat in Battersea, the first thing that strikes me about Rana is her youthfulness. She could easily pass for a newly grad, but she light-heartedly informs me that she has two children, soon to be teenagers. Lebanese-born and Montreal-raised, Rana refined her entrepreneurial skills working high-level positions at various aspirational glossy mags including Elle and Wallpaper.
In 2015 Rana Nakhal Solset founded Emel and Aris, a luxury brand that aims to close the gap between fashion and function by way of its life-enhancing wearable technology. Now, wearable technology is nothing new, but more often than not it conjures up images of bulky padded puffers or body-clinging sports gear. Rana’s coats, on the other hand, are sleek, chic and versatile throughout the seasons.
I put on a thermo mac, one of four designs she currently produces, and I instantly notice its slimming, figure-skimming fit – a welcome change to the bulky bombers and fur coats I normally wear throughout winter. But the major selling point here is the coat’s near-invisible heat technology – technology that Rana is undeniably proud of as she gushes excitedly about it. “It’s safe, it’s comfortable and it heats in all the right places,” she tells me.
As the brand builds, Rana intends to expand the collection to include lots of styles and fashion-forward silhouettes. “Imagine a cool biker jacket that you can wear throughout the seasons,” she beams.
The self-heating coat is activated at the click of a button, which is neatly concealed in an inside pocket. It then instantly emits heat from within its fibres. Wearing the mac, it heats up, much like a bed heater, in no time – and I only have it on its lowest setting (there are three!).
Canadian winters and years of travelling to cold climates were the inspiration behind Rana’s brainchild, as she questioned why no one had created a similar coat sooner. While heated clothing is available in specific industries, it’s rarely available to the general public, she tells me, and it’s certainly not available in such a stylish design. “Everything we create is beautiful as well as functional,” she says.
The company found backing through a Kickstarter campaign that offered donators the coats at a discounted price. Currently Emel and Aris coats retail for £1100 and upwards, but Rana one day hopes to see her technology transcend into the high street market, making them accessible for all. It’s a truly warming feeling to think that next time I have to brave a Russian winter I may be able to make it instantly more bearable with just the click of a button.
