The Sheltersuit is a water and wind-tight jacket that can be transformed into a sleeping bag, providing the homeless with protection from all sorts of weather conditions. Every Sheltersuit is unique, because they are made from donated high-quality materials. More than one thousand two hundred have already been handed out. It is a double-edged sword: they are actually made by people distanced from the labour market, mostly asylum seekers with a residence permit. Through Sheltersuit they integrate in Dutch society.

Thanks to his background as a fashion designer Bas Timmer has been constantly involved in the reinvention of shape, function and materials for his original Sheltersuit launched in 2015. The improvements now make the Sheltersuit worthy of nomination. With this extremely successful project Timmer has admirably created a kind of family, within which everyone contributes something to the process. It’s a stimulating example of the added value of collaboration. And it is not just the storyline that is bang-on, the design is well constructed too. A strong product with tremendous goodwill.