South Africa, Jan. 23 -- Design Indaba speaker, Dutch fashion designer Bas Timmer had been working on a winter clothing range when he heard that a friend of his father, who had been rendered homeless, had died of hypothermia while waiting for a shelter to open. Distressed, Timmer vowed to come up with a solution to protect the homeless from extreme cold, and the Sheltersuit was born.

With homeless people testing the prototype of the Sheltersuit, Timmer, a ArtEZ Institute of the Arts graduate, made sure it could accommodate the real needs of those trying to survive on the street. Created from upcycled and recycled materials, the durable Sheltersuit is in effect a waterproof and windproof bodysuit with an easily attachable sleeping bag. If...