Leave it to Vollebak to create some of the craziest and most futuristic wearable tech of today. They have released an invisibility cloak, a stainless steel jacket, and indestructible pants. This time the team turned to another abundant natural material, the tree, and made their prototype of the Wooden Jacket.
If turning copper, aerogel, and seaweed into functional and stylish wearable pieces isn’t already challenging enough, the team did it again and put themselves to the challenge of creating another amazing feat: turning a tree into a jacket because why not right?
As Vollebak said, making the Wooden Jacket is “all about the technical feat vs. the performance advantage of the material. It builds innovation muscle as it’s just so hard. It’s the equivalent of Daniel-San and Mr. Miyagi practicing the crane kick on the beach in The Karate Kid with no opponent in sight. It forces us to tackle, then solve, technical challenges that would otherwise remain completely theoretical.”
Details on the other materials used for the jacket, its hand feel, and wearable comfort are scarce at the moment. There’s also no launch date yet although the team discreetly and humorously teased its arrival saying it’s “coming soon…once we’ve grown it.”
But they have fortunately released photos that show the Wooden Jacket looking a bit like an anorak featuring two big front pockets and a hood. It has a central YKK zipper closure covered by a storm flap with snaps. It has a good sheen to it and appears stiff.
The question is how Vollebak “softened” wood’s natural hard texture to make the Wooden Jacket wearable. A close-up shot shows the garment has tiny crosshatched tiles of wood. It’s curious what membrane holds these tiles together.
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Images courtesy of Vollebak
