15-01-2015
Social Design

Dutch Design Daily

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Bas Timmer www.hibernatefoundation.com

The Sheltersuit

By 15-01-2015

This winter, fashion designer Bas Timmer from Enschede, together with friends and sponsors, stands up for the interests of the homeless in the Netherlands. He designed a coat, the Sheltersuit, one hundred of which will be divided nationwide among people who have no choice but to sleep on the streets.

Bas Timmer: “I’ve been walking around with this idea ever since my eighteenth. During a journey through Denmark, it struck me that large numbers of homeless people were walking the streets, in the cold. I found it awkward to watch it and do nothing and I thought to myself, I would want to make clothes for people who really need them. Last year, when I heard that the father of a good friend had died from the cold, I just knew something had to be done.”

With the establishment of the Foundation Hibernate, the 24-year-old has launched an initiative to produce warm, water-repellent and weatherproof coats for people without a fixed place of residence or abode. The Sheltersuits are made of a breathable fabric, yet they are fully windproof and water-repellent. The zipper around the hem of the coat makes it possible to attach the accompanying water-repellent sleeping bag to the coat.

Bas Timmer about the Sheltersuit