Vollebak Turns Slate Tiles Into Flexible Rock Jacket
Vollebak collaborates with Steven Leprizé to create the Rock Jacket, a prototype garment built from thousands of 5mm slate tiles on neoprene backing.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Vollebak unveils the Rock Jacket, a prototype made from thousands of tiny 5mm slate tiles
- Developed with French designer Steven Leprizé using adapted elastic marquetry techniques
- Combines natural stone fragments with neoprene backing and a minimalist Harrington silhouette
British clothing brand Vollebak has introduced its latest material experiment, the Rock Jacket, a one-off prototype garment constructed from thousands of miniature slate pieces. Having previously worked with copper, wood, aerogel, and electromagnetic shielding, the brand reaches further back into the material timeline by turning solid stone into wearable, flexible outerwear.
The jacket's surface features thousands of 5mm x 5mm slate tiles mounted on a neoprene backing, forming a grid that twists and bends while retaining the uneven texture of natural stone. From a distance, the garment resembles pixelated armor, while close inspection reveals the detailed layers and natural variations of the slate material itself.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The material was developed in collaboration with French designer, material technologist, and experimental cabinetmaker Steven Leprizé. Vollebak approached him to explore a wearable successor to their earlier Wooden Jacket. Leprizé adapted WooWood, his elastic marquetry technique that bonds small wooden tiles to a flexible rubber membrane, substituting timber with thin squares of slate.
Transforming rigid geological materials into a flexible textile represents an advanced intersection of material science and fashion engineering. By bonding stone onto neoprene with laser-cut precision, the design bridges architectural elements with everyday apparel, pushing the boundaries of wearable experimental prototypes.
Production begins with slate sheets measuring 100 x 50 cm and just 0.5 mm in thickness before being cut into half-centimeter squares. According to Leprizé, the fabrication involves approximately 50 distinct steps, where precise cutting ensures the grid moves cleanly without sacrificing the distinct visual character of the stone.
"a one-off garment built from thousands of tiny pieces of slate."
Vollebak
Vollebak fashions these flexible sheets into a cropped, minimalist Harrington jacket silhouette. The slate panels are laser-cut and joined with visible taped seams, contrasted by functional Cordura pockets and a conventional zipper. Currently existing as a unique one-of-one piece, co-founder Nick Tidball views the design as the beginning of an ongoing investigation into rock as a potential construction material for clothing.
Source: designboom
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