Beer-powered cooling puffer jacket makes debut at Paris Fashion Week
Tiger is the top international premium beer from Asia and one of the world’s fastest-growing beer brands, says Heineken, with more than 60 markets globally.
While puffer jackets are described as ‘one of Gen Z’s hottest obsessions’, in Tiger Beer’s home region of Asia, the tropical heat means this wardrobe item is a no-go.
Chinese Canadian designer Izzy Du, who is based in London, and Japanese tech firm Whatever Co., have been challenged to create the Tiger Sumer Puffer: a winter statement jacket that can be worn in any climate, including tropical locations.
Their resulting design is a ‘bold, bold and bright’ orange colored puffer, which pays homage to a tiger, with the beer-powered cooling system.
The cooling system uses the cold beer to chill water which is then pumped around the wearer’s body via a network of tubes. These tubes make contact with key points where the arteries are closest to the skin, cooling the body down by up to 5° Celsius in the sun.
“Inspired by the same tech that keeps astronauts cool in extreme temperatures, we tried a variety of cooling system designs, each making the jacket more effective at keeping the wearer cool for as long as possible,” said Masashi Kawamura, chief technology officer at Whatever Co.
“We tested various tube placements, tube materials, water tank designs and electronic wiring before landing on the final mechanism. We even had a trial run where the jacket became too cold to wear, and we had to tune it down to get it to the right temperature.”
The jacket will be showcased as part of Izzy Du’s current collection at a pop-up in Paris from the 1st to the 3rd of October 2023 during Paris Fashion Week. It will then be made available in spring 2024.
