Dutch designer Bas Timmer has teamed up with businessman Alexander de Groot to create the Sheltersuit. It is a jacket made from discarded tents that can double as a warm, wind and rain-proof sleeping bag for the homeless and refugees.
The two founders were inspired to start the Sheltersuit Foundation when a friend’s father died of hypothermia, while living on the streets.
"As a designer, I just found it really strange that I'm selling very warm clothing and that this is happening in my home town. So, I felt obligated to do something," says Timmer.
After creating the first Sheltersuit, Timmer handed it out to someone living in a shelter. After seeing the positive response to the suit, the designer knew that this is what he was meant to be doing.
The waterproof jacket can be zipped into a sleeping bag-shaped section that keeps the user's legs warm and dry and when not in use, the sleeping bag can be packed away into a specially designed backpack.
Over the last four years Timmer and the team at Sheltersuit have created more than 6000 suits. The suits which have been donated to people all over the world.
Constantly adapting the suit to the needs of the homeless or refugees, Sheltersuit also has a range of suits made for people in warmer climates.
"Homelessness is a global problem and Sheltersuit, as we see it, is a solution that fits in any country," says Timmer.
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