Canopy’s flying colours

British industrial designer Benjamin Hubert, founder of LAYER, recently partnered with British fashion designer Christopher Raeburn on a collection of furniture made from upcycled parachutes. The creative cross-industry collaboration, playfully titled “Canopy”, explores the shared design process, drawing on Hubert’s experience with furniture design and Raeburn’s evocative use of parachutes in his brand’s fashion collections over the years.

Surplus “drogue” parachutes – used to slow an aircraft’s landing – have been transformed into rocking chair seats, with the existing construction of the parachute giving the chairs a distinctive, highly-tactile quality. Ex-military parachutes – made from khaki, orange, tan and white ripstop nylon – have been used to create a matching rocking chair and room-dividing screen, with a graphic patchwork design echoing that of the original parachutes.

“RÆBURN shares our passion for sustainable and responsible design,” says Hubert. “Together, we have translated the label’s iconic use of parachute material in the fashion world into an exciting exploration of form and materiality in furniture.”

“This was a truly unique opportunity for both brands to test, learn and ultimately achieve a project that is as unexpected as it is experimental,” adds Raeburn.

The collection was exhibited at Raeburn’s new pop-up store in Central London as part of the London Design Festival 2019 and Raeburn’s 10th anniversary celebrations.

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