URBAN INDUSTRIALISM / TRANSFORMABLES
I began with a jacket that becomes a chair. I wanted clothing to remain useful when I stopped moving, rather than making its utility depend only on pockets or a technical appearance. That idea became a collection for rugged urban creatives whose day shifts between carrying equipment, making work and spending time outdoors.
I developed five distinct transitions: the Chair Jacket moves from wear to seating; the Speaker Pack from transport to a low wedge cradle; the Deck Pack from transport to a low controller riser; the Shelter Case from carrying to a deployable poncho; and the Flap Trousers from ordinary wear to more accessible retained storage. Each object has its own mechanism and material allocation.
WEAR / CARRY / SHELTER
My mountain use, footwear, nylon wallet construction and creative/DJ context shaped this direction. The moodboard brings together protective silhouettes, industrial footwear, ballistic nylon and metal hardware. Black nylon, stone, steel, weathered leather and alpine light give the collection a shared visual language.
I translated that direction into ten drawing sheets, specific fabric and hardware selections, and a five-product costing model at 100 units per style. Simon's interview sharpened the storage, comfort, durability and value requirements. I selected the Chair Jacket as my lead prototype because its separate wearable shell, reinforced sling and detachable frame most clearly test the original idea.
Collection & Development records those decisions, dimensions, supplier rates and projected costs. The drawings and costing establish the current proposal; deployment, load support, weather behavior and comfort remain physical prototype checks.
Nate Perini / Apparel Design & Merchandising / Colorado State University
USER / RUGGED URBAN CREATIVES
I am designing primarily for men aged approximately 20–30 who move between work, creative projects, music and outdoor activity. They want a restrained black silhouette, durable construction and practical features that remain useful as the day changes.
SIMON / WHAT CHANGED MY DIRECTION
Simon described work-pant openings too tight for useful storage, buying cargo pants for tools, and a backpack that runs out of room. He values fit, comfort and durability and will consider a higher price when the utility justifies it. His corrected sixth answer, clothing could extend past its normal use, directly inspired my trousers' flap-storage system. He also participated in completed fit modeling.
THE PROBLEM I AM ADDRESSING
Daily clothing and equipment carriers often serve one stage of an activity: getting dressed or transporting an object. Extra storage, seating, supports and weather cover then become separate things to carry. I am exploring how the garment or carrier can contribute to that next stage while preserving its first function.
WHAT THE COLLECTION DOES
The jacket carries a removable chair module; the speaker carrier becomes a wedge cradle; the controller carrier becomes a low riser; the shelter case releases a wearable wrap while retaining an independent equipment insert; and the trousers add retained flap storage above a conventional fly.
MY DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
The second state must have a clear task, the conversion must be understandable, storage must be reachable, and reinforcement must follow the load path. I tied these requirements to the five construction studies and the full costing model rather than treating transformation as an aesthetic effect.
MATERIAL CHOICES / EACH FABRIC HAS A JOB
I kept the palette black and selected different textile structures for drape, wear zones and equipment contact. My ballistic-nylon wallet shown here is an earlier example of my construction practice.
70D NYLON RIPSTOP / Kemao 26010416
I selected this for the Chair Jacket shell and Shelter Case wrap, hood and separate equipment rain cover. The model uses $3.30/m and a 150 cm usable width assumption. Light fabric lets the wearable parts fold; coating and seam-tape compatibility still need sample evaluation.
500D PU-COATED OXFORD NYLON / Wujiang Idear
I selected this for the two pack shells, Shelter Case insert and local garment reinforcement. The supplier records 57/58 in width, 190 gsm and a 500 m MOQ; model rate $3.33/m. I reserve its heavier structure for areas needing body. The listing's “Cordura” wording does not establish certified CORDURA branding.
1680D BALLISTIC BASKET NYLON / Kemao KM-TL7014
I selected this for pack bases and the Chair Jacket's seat/back sling. The listing records WR + PU finish and a $4.50–8/m range; I costed $8/m. Concentrating it at contact zones avoids making the whole garment as stiff as a bag base. Its name alone does not establish a seating-load rating.
CONTACT AND CUSHIONING
WINIW low-pile microfiber lines the equipment cases; I costed $14.80/m at the 300 m tier. Separate 10 mm EVA padding uses a $6/m² allowance and 25% cutting loss. Lining limits direct casing contact; foam provides proposed cushioning.
TROUSER BODY / PMTEX-WS101
The listed woven is 87% nylon / 13% spandex, 135 gsm and 57/58 in width. I used a $3.50/m allowance because the listing's piece price does not confirm a meter rate. The flexible body has local 500D reinforcement at the flap hinge and receivers. The retained storage flap sits above an independent opaque fly. I specified Hywell polyester tricot for two concealed small-item pocket bags, each allocated a 32 × 17 cm cut rectangle. The model allows 0.092316 m before waste at the $1.30/m upper listing rate, using a 58/60 in width. These are storage pockets, not vents; the independent fly remains opaque.
CONNECTIONS
I selected 38 mm nylon webbing, #5 nylon zipper allowances and Yingteng 024 magnetic pairs. Magnets align and retain; positive frame joints, braces and rigid anchors support loads. The costing workbook records source URLs, quantities and rate assumptions for each part.
HOW I DEVELOPED URBAN INDUSTRIALISM
I began with one question: could the jacket I already carry become the chair I would otherwise carry separately? That became the starting point for a collection in which clothing and equipment carriers gain a useful second state.
I developed the idea around rugged urban creatives and my own interest in music, equipment transport and time outdoors. Simon's interview made everyday storage more specific: tight pocket openings and limited bag space mattered more than simply adding compartments. His interest in clothing working beyond its normal use inspired the trousers' hinged flap-storage system.
I separated the five products by the task each transformation serves. The Chair Jacket deploys a removable seating module. The Speaker Pack opens into a wedge cradle. The Deck Pack becomes a low controller riser. The Shelter Case releases a wearable wrap while its independent padded insert stays with the equipment. The trousers retain an opaque conventional fly beneath the storage flap.
The drawing development clarified where fabric ends and structure begins. I separated magnetic alignment from load-bearing joints, placed reinforcement at concentrated contact points, and kept equipment restraints attached to rigid anchors. Ten concept and construction sheets document the proposed states and connections.
I then tied those construction decisions to a complete cost model: material consumption, counted hardware, assembly time, packaging and delivery for 100 units per design. The Chair Jacket's $50.40 frame group made mechanism complexity a clear cost driver; the trousers' $61.93 projected delivered cost provides the collection's most accessible entry point.
I selected the Chair Jacket for the first physical prototype because it tests the central garment-to-object idea most directly: wearable bulk, frame assembly, sling attachment and return to the garment. Simon's fit modeling is complete. The drawings and costing are completed design work; load, conversion and weather trials are the next physical stage, and I have not presented unperformed tests as results.