Kosuke Tsumura was born in Japan in 1959. He joined the Miyake Design Studio in 1983 for a decade. During his career he presented his work in eight different moments and won numerous awards.
In 1994 Tsumura presented this survival jacket. The first name that was given to this particular garment was “FINAL HOME”; later it became its brand name.
Tsumura wondered himself “If I lose my home due to a disaster, war, unemployment, etc…What kind of clothes can I propose as a fashion designer?”. Designed to be a wearable shelter, this parka features 44 pockets designed to store food, medicine and tools. If weather gets cold, the pockets can be filled with newspaper or any other insulating material. All the pockets can also be accommodated with down cushions, transforming the Final Home parka into a down jacket. The parka is made to suit any body shape by simply filling certain pockets with extra materials to provide fitted look.
Here is a Tsumura´s quote about the jacket “lets the wearer create a design from a design and create something that is truly personal.”
In the cards included with the garment, we are able to read that after enjoying it as a fashion item, you can bring it to one of their outlets. They will donate it to organizations such as NGOs for the benefit of refugees or disaster victims.
The piece was shown in 2008 as part of Rough Cut: Design Takes a Sharp Edge, a selection of bold designs from MoMA’s collection.
Written by Victor Espadas
Here is a tutorial video about How to use it.