Vest for Nuclear Disasters

Dressing is often about creativity, innovation and seduction, but sometimes it is also a matter of life and death. Fashion student Michelle Lyhne Schjerbeck took on the challenge of developing a design concept for protective gear  against radiation using materials developed by particle physics students at The Niels Bohr Institute and medical students at the Panum Institute at the University of Copenhagen. Researching fire fighter uniforms, military vests and sportswear technology, Michelle developed a prototype for a protective vest designed to be used by rescue teams in nuclear disaster areas. The project demonstrates one way fashion designers can move beyond the glamour of the catwalk to contribute to political and health related solutions.