Sheltersuit: Design with a necessity

Museum Villa Mondriaan is the museum for coming-of-age. The world-famous Piet Mondriaan developed during his teenage years in this villa in Winterswijk. Besides masterpieces by the young Mondriaan, the museum displays works by both established and contemporary artists in their search for their own signature. One thing the artists have in common: like the young Mondriaan, they are all in the turbulent period of their development.
Stichting Sheltersuit was founded in 2015 by Bas Timmer. After studying at the fashion academy, he starts designing his own cold-weather clothing line. When a friend’s father loses his life due to hypothermia, Timmer decides to manufacture design not from an aesthetic but an extremely practical point of view. Within five hours, he manufactures the first Sheltersuit from an old sleeping bag and tent. This sets the stage for the creation of an organisation whose aim, with the production and distribution of Sheltersuits, is to provide warmth and shelter to homeless people worldwide.
The Sheltersuit provides warmth during extreme weather conditions and consists of a wind- and waterproof jacket, an upcycled sleeping bag, a duffel bag and an integrated scarf. By using textile waste, Sheltersuit aims to combat the wastage of today’s fashion and textile industry. Although the product is mainly conceived out of necessity, the design remains according to aesthetic and fashion principles.
Timmer himself notes “that Sheltersuit would rather not exist”. The compact Sheltersuit is a temporary solution, which in no way can replace finding a home. The reality is that more than 21500 Sheltersuits have already been distributed since 2014.