Merlyn project

merlyn project by robert newman

For the first edition of Orienteer, Rob made a custom Dyneema ripstop jacket with a removable wrap sheet, wool blanket liner, and wired hood, Inspired by home made outdoor gear from the 70’s and 80’s. Built at a time of studio transition, without access to industrial machinery, the jacket is designed with home manufacture in mind, using only a single needle lockstitch machine. Titled ‘Merlyn project’, the colour scheme of the jacket is taken from the wizard Merlyn, thought to have trained the young king Arthur by showing him life from the perspective of other animals, as well as from that of a rock, and tree. Disney’s Merlin was a childhood hero to Rob, and this jacket is his tribute.