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The Canopy Collection Gives Old Parachutes New Life

Benjamin Hubert of LAYER has collaborated with responsible design company RÆBURN on The Canopy Collection, a family of four rocking chairs and two screens. This limited edition range of innovative furniture explores form and structure, as well as the industrial and fashion worlds, using recycled parachute material and welded steel frames.

Each frame provides a sort of blank canvas for the parachute material, allowing it to be the most expressive element as it’s wrapped, slung, and hung to provide padding and webbing. Throughout the design process, LAYER and RÆBURN referenced the RÆBURN archives and how they’ve used surplus parachutes in iconic fashion. Surplus ex-military parachutes and aircraft brake parachutes provided the most unique structure, translucency, and tactility – all great for layering.

The simple steel frame of each chair provided the borders that needed to be worked within, showcasing a different quality of parachute material – from a controlled, simple expression to a more raw, sculptural form. In the more minimal format the frame is polished and finished, while in the most raw format, the welded joins are unfinished and the steel shows off the production process.

The two screens in the collection play with light and the way it moves through the parachute material. The frame again dictating the parameters, LAYER and RÆBURN stuck to a color blocked design.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she's likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.