RCA Students Design a Coat that Doubles as a Home
Students at the Royal College of Art in London have designed a coat that doubles as a sleeping bag and shelter for Syrian refugees.
The global refugee crisis is one of, if not the, biggest tragedies of today. With millions displaced, basic humanitarian provisions are, for this group of people, no longer a given.
In the wake of such an emergency, there is a greater need than ever to design smart solutions to big problems. A group of graduates from the Royal College of Art in London have answered that need with their latest design, a coat that doubles as a sleeping bag or tent.
Made in consultation with Médecins Sans Frontières, the Syrian Refugee Wearable Shelter is composed of Tyvek, a material commonly used to protect workers from the elements, and mylar, an insulating material, both of which are affordable and easy to distribute.
With space to store papers, passports, money, and other documents, the coat can be unzipped to open into either a sleeping bag or a tent (constructed through the use of accompanying kite rods).
The Syrian Refugee Wearable Shelter is currently seeking funding to create and distribute the coats. Support the project on Kickstarter.
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