Identity area
Reference code
2023.27.1
Title
Raeburn Airbreak Anorak
Date(s)
- 2019 (Creation)
Level of description
Item
Extent and medium
2 (jacket and carabiner clip tape zip pull)
Context area
Name of creator
(2008-present)
Administrative history
London-based fashion brand founded by designer Christopher Raeburn. Initially using his full name, the label was re-branded as Raeburn in 2019. Raeburn is especially known for their RÆMADE line which is made from re-worked surplus materials, particularly military uniforms and artefacts such as parachutes.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Hooded jacket in a recycled, black [cotton feel] polyester fabric. Jacket is front fastening via a Black RiRi CF zip with detachable carabiner clip black webbing zip pull. Laid over the outside of the jacket is a dyed, nylon Air Brake parachute. A vertical, inseam pocket is found at each side of the waist. A black rib insert is at inner cuff.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Label: Raeburn / S
Materials: Polyester [Recycled]; Nylon
Measurements: 46cm [Chest]; 68cm [Length]
Details: Zip fastening; hood
Physical Condition: Good
Materials: Polyester [Recycled]; Nylon
Measurements: 46cm [Chest]; 68cm [Length]
Details: Zip fastening; hood
Physical Condition: Good
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
The drogue parachute used in this garment was invented in Russia in 1912 by Gleb Kotelnikov and is designed to be deployed from a fast‐moving object and acts as an air brake.
The parachute repurposed within this jacket by Ræburn was originally manufactured in 1988 by GQ Parachutes, a company founded in 1932 in Guildford, Surrey, England, by Sir Raymond Quilter, designer of the X‐type British parachute used in World War Two. This type of deceleration parachute can be deployed at supersonic speeds that would otherwise tear a conventional parachute to shreds due to its ribbon‐like design. The original military surplus parachute used for this jacket would have been white, but it has been garment‐dyed black.
Note
Donated by Ræburn to the Westminster Menswear Archive.