Jordan Jones. Melissa Shuford.
Natalie Ouma.
A rain jacket that grows with a child; made to last longer for the child wearing it and whom it is passed to
The problem: Kids from ages 6 - 10 grow 5 - 7 pounds a year and 5 inches a year
We found that there is a market for sustainable raincoats.
current raincoats are
material intensive, infrequently worn, and toxic. The options for more sustainable jackets are few and far between and almost always expensive. The other option is disposable rain ponchos which are
disposable
cheap
ill fitting
ugly
why not create a
sustainable raincoat that grows with you?
We researched where in the body a child in our age group was most likely to grow to determine where areas of adjustment needed to be. Then we brainstormed to figure out how the jacket would adjust. We decided it needed to be simple to understand, applicable to multiple body types, and easily transferable once the user has grown out of it.
easy to understand
aesthetically simple
accommodating to varying body types/genders
shareable
Simple, classic silhouette
The design is unisex and simple to appeal to different parents and kids. The pattern was incorporated to add an element of excitement to keep the child engaged in the design for the years they will use it. The sleeves are meant to be an ode to growth charts.
Sleeve unrolls as the child grows to show a pattern
neutral colors with bright yellow details are a nod to
traditional rain jackets
final design
This is the pattern for the jacket with a material overlay. The jacket is pulled over the head and wrapped around and buckled to conserve material.
The coat adjusts at the belt and the sleeves to expand to fit the child while they are growing. Ideally this would allow the coat to last three years. This is a lot longer than the 6 months that most children take to outgrow their jackets. The colors are deliberately neutral. The yellow is an nod to traditional raincoats.
Importance of storytelling
We created character illustrations to explain the user journey because we want the user to not just understand the important of closing the loop but to be excited about it.
Illustration of the user journey
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Hansh gets his coat in the mail and tries it on for the first time.
As he grows up he unrolls the sleeves and loosens the buckle to make it fit him better.
When it doesn’t fit him anymore he packages it up and writes about his experience wearing it. He sends both back.
Scout evaluates the coat to be in good condition and sends the jacket to Li who reads the story and begins hers.
Materials
This project required very thorough material research to meet cradle to cradle standards. We used C2C natura, candelilia wax, C2C dystar, organic cotton, hemp, and alluminum as they were durable as well as sustainable.
Material cycle
The cycle below shows the flow of materials to prove that its life cycle is circular.
