For fashionistas for whom style comes before safety, the the Bandeau Belt developed by Dana Ramler and Kathleen Westerhout is a fashionable alternative to the traditional life jacket.


Developed in partnership with Mustang Survival, Ramler and Westerhout designed inflatable wearable accessories targeted at fashion-conscious female recreational boaters. The inflatable belts were styled to fit the typical aesthetic of yachting apparel so when worn they appeared less like a safety device and more like a fashionable accessory.

The belt contains an inflatable bladder that is placed over the head to provide buoyancy and safety. A C02 canister fills the inflatable bladder when triggered by the inflation cord.

I particularly love the initial studies created during the design process. Although the solution is a practical belt, the exploratory studies hint to a far more imaginative expression.