The Rain Collection

Air pollution is one of Sofia’s most serious and long-standing problems, causing over 11,000 deaths every year in Bulgaria.
Although widely reported and regulated, the issue remains abstract for most people and easy to ignore in everyday life.

To change that, Air4Health NGO set out to make air pollution impossible to overlook.

We used rain — which naturally captures smog particles — to collect the residue left by polluted air.
That residue was turned into black pigment and used to create The Rain Collection: a line of T-shirts stained with the real consequences of the air people breathe every day.

The collection was first introduced without explanation on national television, immediately drawing attention and speculation.
When the truth behind the garments was revealed, the story was picked up organically by national media outlets, online platforms, and public figures.

A dedicated website explained the process and connected the visual impact of the garments to the broader issue of air pollution.
Outdoor, digital, and social executions amplified the earned coverage, while influencers and celebrities helped sustain the public conversation.

As the discussion grew, Air4Health was invited to meet with the Mayor of Sofia.
Following the meeting, the Mayor publicly announced a 6 million BGN investment in green infrastructure aimed at improving air quality in the city.

What started as a visual intervention became a catalyst for public attention and political action.