'The Melbourne Jacket' is kinda crazy, but so is Melbourne's weather
The weather in Melbourne, Australia is notoriously erratic -- you basically need to carry around your entire wardrobe just to cope.
The morning might start off sunny, but you'll get caught in the rain at lunch, be sweating by tea time and then freeze on your way home.
But never fear: There's a piece of clothing being designed to help you cope with it all. Aptly-named the Melbourne jacket, the project idea comes from Melburnian Aaron Tyler, an advertising art director by day, who got inspired after a real-life run in with the city's mood swings.
"I came up with the idea after catching the 96 tram home one day. It was completely sunny when I got on. I got off at my stop into a torrential thunderstorm with gale force winds. Got completely soaked in shorts and thongs," he said via email.
Currently seeking crowdfunding on Kickstarter, Tyler wants to make a jacket that can be adjusted as the weather changes.
Here's how he imagines it: You'll be able to convert the jacket into a singlet when the sun cranks up, or pull out retractable gloves and switch on a battery-powered heating element when the temperature drops (hope he does the safety testing on that one).
There's even a poncho that's stored in the jacket's rear for when it starts to pour, including one for your dog. Not to mention, rain chaps to ensure your legs don't get wet.
Also designed into the jacket is a Myki transport card holder in the sleeve, as well as a pull-out legionnaire's hat for those who hate getting sunburnt on the neck and don't mind wearing a bit of headwear usually reserved for school kids.
While it sounds like something out of Inspector Gadget, Tyler is determined to make the jacket a reality. It'll need A$12,000 (US$9,162) to reach its goal on Kickstarter.
"The jacket's design will be quite technical to figure out, requiring a bit of trial and error during the production phase. I'd like to collaborate with the right people to pull it off. So finding the right people will be really important," he said.
He's open to more jacket feature ideas from backers, too. It'll certainly be the "most Melbourne thing ever," if it becomes reality.
