Created by a student industrial designer Veronika Scott from Detroit, the Element S (Survival) Coat is self-heated and waterproof and transforms into a sleeping bag at night. It took the designer a long time to test out the possibilities--the first one weighed twenty pounds and was terrible looking. After taking advice from homeless advisors at a local shelter the latest version is made of water and wind and air-resistant polyethylene on the outer layer, which acts as a barrier.

The inner layer is made of Thinsulate and Steelcase fabric to store body heat. It also turns into an over-the-shoulder bag with the arm sockets acting as storage. The design is so clever that it won an International Design prize.

To date 275 coats have been made and one hundred of them have been given to homeless people in Detroit. Two were donated to Occupy Wall Street supporters in New York this past winter.

As explained in the New York Times, it has been quite a journey for Veronika Scott, the designer. It all started with a Detroit professor who had a design activism class where students were given the instruction to "Design to fill a need" and Veronika Scott did just that. Let's hope she got an A+ on the course.

She has now started up a small non-profit business, Empowerment Plan, which provides homeless women with employment opportunities. In preparation, she has traveled to social entrepreneur fairs, met manufacturers, renovated a space in Detroit on the cheap.

The goals of the Empowerment Plan are:

• to employ homeless females within the city of Detroit

• to give coats or the Element S coat to individuals living on the streets

• to establish trust and communication with individuals deemed by the shelters as unreachable in the homeless community for example the mentally impaired

• to teach sewing manufacturing/ production skills to people that need jobs

• to offer a sense of pride to the women who have been employed in the production of the coats. 

Veronika has had help from her friends. Carhartt is a local company which specializes in work wear and they have donated industrial sewing machines, materials and training guidance. In addition, a local industrial fabric company, is helping her with manufacturing so she can make her coats more quickly.

As for the women who are working at the Empowerment Plan, they have been taught how to sew them and are paid for their work. So not only does the coat help the homeless, its creation is providing long-term education and opportunities as well.

If you are inspired, you can donate to the project.

Credits: Treehugger.com