LAYER and RÆBURN produce cape and jacket for any weather

LAYER and ræburn produce cape and jacket for any weather

For fashion brand RÆBURN, LAYER crafts SHIELD, a recycled cape and jacket that can be worn in cold and hot weather. The design studio has showcased the garment during Milan Design Week 2025 at its 101010 exhibition in Corso Como 10. The cape and jacket adapt to all kinds of climates. They protect the wearer from the heat during summer and the cold during winter. The design team uses reclaimed materials to produce SHIELD, including deadstock parachute nylon, reclaimed down, recycled wadding, and military surplus airbrake parachutes.

Speaking with designboom in an interview, LAYER founder Benjamin Hubert says they select these materials both for their story and performance. ‘They are materials that RÆBURN is known for working with. Their knowledge and expertise were an important part of the collaboration. Parachute nylon and airbrake fabrics are inherently engineered to withstand extreme forces, making them ideal for garments designed to endure diverse climates and physical demands. These are materials that were designed to save lives, so repurposing them for SHIELD brings a sense of poetry to the collection,’ he shares with us.

all images courtesy of LAYER

Circular narrative with the use of reclaimed materials

There’s also a circular narrative that resonates with LAYER and RÆBURN. As the studio founder explains to us, these reclaimed materials were sitting in deadstock or surplus, potentially destined for landfill. ‘By reclaiming and recontextualizing them, we not only reduce waste. We also highlight the value that still exists in so-called ‘obsolete’ materials. SHIELD is about protecting the wearer and the planet – it’s a physical manifestation of design with purpose,’ he adds. The way it works is that SHIELD comprises two layers.

The outer garment – the cape – wraps the wearer with insulated layers and an adjustable, oversized silhouette during cold weather. It features baffles that regulate the warmth as well as a large hood that cocoons the head to protect the wearer from rain and biting winds. The second layer is the jacket underneath the cape. It comes from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) Swedish Digital Camouflage, alongside reclaimed airbrake canopy tapes. The jacket has discreet holes around it for ventilation on top of having an integrated water-based cooling system. Both of these design elements keep the wearer from getting warm.

for fashion brand RÆBURN, LAYER crafts SHIELD

SHIELD collection as a response to fashion consumption

Making the SHIELD cape and jacket portable is essential to LAYER and RÆBURN. There’s an accompanying compression bag in the collection, made with the same materials as the cape, including reused military hardware. The wearer can roll and pack the garment into a portable size. The use of reclaimed materials becomes a focal point of our conversation with Benjamin Hubert. He shares with us that SHIELD is fundamentally a response to the realities of climate change and the urgent need for the fashion industry to rethink its systems.

‘Creating a garment that’s wearable across multiple environments and conditions reduces the need for seasonal consumption. Rather than owning multiple pieces for different weather, SHIELD proposes a modular, adaptable approach. We designed it for longevity, resilience, and minimal environmental impact. It is able to perform in both heat and cold through thoughtful material layering and integrated features like ventilation and hydration systems. We see fashion not just as clothing but as a system, and SHIELD reflects that,’ he says. For the LAYER founder, the cape and jacket forged from recycled components encourage more conscious consumption as the collection challenges the throwaway culture that still dominates parts of the industry and the purchasing culture.

the collection comprises a cape and jacket that are suitable in cold and hot weather