Mark Hanbunjerd - Heather Bomber Jacket

Heather Bomber Jacket

Personal Project: Designing myself an outerwear jacket that pairs well with my wardrobe

This project stems from my desire to sew myself a versatile outerwear jacket that I can regularly wear. Along the way, the design shifted significantly as I worked through challenges, forcing me to problem-solve and adapt. In the end, the design reflected my ideal characteristics in the garments I own: clean, versatile, and easy to pair with the rest of my wardrobe. By taking this project from concept to completion, I’m using this project as an opportunity to showcase my design process in a more holistic manner, while also offering an insight to my genuine design preferences when unconstrained by external briefs and guidelines.

Detailed View

Torso pocket (Invisible zippers)

Hidden back pocket for flat items (mainly to carry books)

Interior torso pocket for larger items

Patterns

Estimated Fabric Cost Per Unit: ~CA$38 per garment, size S (3.6m of Nylon Taffetta at 6 CA$/m + 1.8m of 15D Matte Ripstop Nylon at 9 CA$/m + Minor fabric for neck facing)
Nesting efficiency: 73.61% on a 68" roll and 1800mm cutting surface

Samples + Changes

Proto 1: Fit Sample

First muslin prototype, drafted from my measurements, used to test pocket functionality and placement. Annotated with design, sewing, and construction improvements. Sample included every elements the AI had designed, most of them non-functional.

Proto 1 Baseline Measurements:

1 1/2" Collar Height
23 1/4" Front/Back Length
20 3/4" Chest Width
18 5/8" Waist Width (Half Measure - Flat, Relaxed)
6" Shoulder Width/HPS-HPS
20 5/8" Sleeve Length
1" Cuff Width (Interior)
1 " Waistband Width (Interior)

Preproduction Sample

Final physical sample used to showcase the outcome of the project and the AI's final design. Fully functional, seam sealed, and constructed with final trims/fabric.

POM Adjustments

Collar depth increased by 1 1/8"
Collar height increased by 1/2"
Armhole depth decreased by 1/4"
Chest width increased by 3 3/8"
Front/back length increased by 1 3/8"
Collar width increased by 5/8" (Half measure - flat)
Shoulder width decreased by 5/8"
Torso pocket significantly enlarged (From 7" x 5 1/2" to 9 5/8" x 7 1/2")
Interior torso pocket significantly enlarged (From 6" x 7" to 10" x 8 1/2"
Cuff width increased by 1/4"
Waistband width increased by 1/4"
Sleeve length increased by 2 1/4"

Construction Changes

Asymmetrical seam overhauled to a more symmetrical design
Overall fill reduced by approximately 20% to decrease roundness in shape
Front torso pocket overhauled to have a more rectangular shape while also being significantly larger.
Hidden back pocket added
Back neck facing added as a decorative detail

Summary

Ease added overall as jacket was a size too small
Decorative curved seams and curved pockets overhauled for a more streamline design.

Material/Trims/Notions

Nylon Taffeta
W-NYL-RPS-60-LGN
100% Nylon
UC: Primary fabric (Self-lined)

15D Matte Nylon Ripstop
W-NYL-RPS-30-TPE
100% Nylon
UC: Insulation lining fabric

Nylon Stripe Weave
W-NYL-STR-130-TAU
100% Nylon
UC: Label panel at neck

Polyfill
F-TPU-SHT-240-BLK
100% Thermoplastic Polyurethane
UC: Jacket Fill

OEM Vislon 2-way Separating
Z-TWS-05-AL-BLK
Polyester Tape/Polyacetal Molded Teeth

YKK Vislon®
Z-VISL-05-AL-BLK
Polyester Tape/Polyacetal Molded Teeth

YKK Invisible Zipper
Z-INV-03-NL-DGY
Polyester Tape/Concealed Nylon Coil

Knitted Elastic Tape
E-POL-KET-27-WHT
80% Polyester 10%, Polyamide, 10% Spandex
27mm Width

Grosgrain Ribbon
T-POL-GGR-18-BLK
100% Polyester
18mm Width

Material Consideration:
I sourced midweight nylon and polyester fabrics with a semi-matte finish, prioritizing materials that offered structure, water resistance, and a clean technical look. Nylon Taffeta was chosen as the primary fabric for its smooth surface and slight rigidity, giving the shell a crisp silhouette while still feeling lightweight. Matte Nylon Ripstop also worked well as an lining fabric readily-available to me, due to its lightweight and thinness. However, if this project were to be taken to mass production, non-ripstop, down proof lining options should be considered to lower material cost as well as replacing polyfill with goose down for greater insulation.

Techpack: Slightly streamlining the construction of the jacket and redesigning it for manufacture

While this project had no requirements for mass manufacturability, I used this opportunity to practice and refine
my technical development skills, showcasing my ability to communicate design details for production *

PDF

Process: Ideation, Fitting, Major change in design direction

01 Moodboard + Material Research:
The moodboard mainly consist of clean, raw, and intentional tone of images, drawing heavily from the industrial minimalism aesthetics, urban environments, and curved forms seen in architecture, interior design, and nature. At this point, I also began sourcing midweight nylon and polyester fabrics with a semi-matte finish, prioritizing options that offered water resistance and some structure.

02 Ideation Sketch:
The chosen design merged the materiality and “rawness” of a bomber jacket with rounded forms of a puffer jacket, reflecting both the aesthetic inspired by my moodboard and the functional needs of cold Vancouver weather. The initial iteration featured curved, asymmetrical seams running across the jacket, with larger divisions between the puffer cells.

03 CLO Prototype:
The design was then rapid-prototyped in CLO and draped on a fitting model adjusted to my measurements, allowing me to determine the desired silhouette of the jacket. However, I quickly realized the seams had been too visually distracting and the down fill could potentially skew the overall silhouette, ultimately leading to the curved seams being simplified in proto 2.

04 Physical Prototype:
The prototype was constructed using deadstock nylon to evaluate fit and test feasibility. During this phase, I made minor adjustments to the pocket proportions and placements to improve functionality. The shape of the collar was also changed from the original sketch for better layering capabilities with other jackets.

05 Final Adjustments:
New, symmetrical seams were drafted to better integrate the pockets with the jacket’s overall form, creating a more cohesive design. Hidden puffer cells were also incorporated to ensure consistent down distribution throughout the garment. The finalized patterns created in CLO were then cut out on a Carlson Plotter and sewn on a home sewing machine.

Previous Project, Iteration 3 Technical Jacket

Next Project, Confide Puffer Jacket