The Kyiv-based design studio takes its signature approach to upcycled materials to Milan Fashion Week, creating a striking new interpretation of the iconic Parajumpers Gobi jacket.
We already love Ukrainian design studio Pilsok for its Beetle bag, a beautifully constructed accessory that turns discarded automotive materials into something you actually want to carry everywhere. But Pilsok is proving that its talents go far beyond backpacks and bags.
Its latest creation, called Second Life, is a remarkable jacket made from repurposed car airbags. Designed for the 20th anniversary of Italian outerwear brand Parajumpers, the project was unveiled in Milan in September as part of an exhibition featuring 20 international designers invited to reinterpret the brand’s iconic Gobi jacket. The result brings together experimental fashion, industrial materials and a moving tribute to Ukraine’s emergency rescuers.
From car airbags to high fashion
Founded by Dmytro Isaienko in Kyiv, Pilsok has built its reputation around thoughtful construction and unexpected materials. Its bags and backpacks made from retired automotive airbags have already shown how a material once designed for passenger safety can find an entirely different purpose. For Second Life, the studio has taken that idea further.
The Gobi jacket has been reconstructed using salvaged airbags, with their original stitching, printed technical markings and traces of previous use deliberately preserved. An integrated backpack gives the piece an additional functional element, while symbols of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) make the jacket’s message clear.
There is something particularly beautiful about this approach to design. Rather than hiding the origins of the recycled fabric, Pilsok makes those details part of the finished garment. Every marking has a history. Every seam tells you something about where the material came from. And the result feels contemporary, considered and entirely original.
The project is also a tribute to the rescuers of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, who continue to respond to attacks, fires and destroyed buildings during Russia’s war against Ukraine. Automotive airbags are engineered to protect lives in a collision. By turning them into protective outerwear, Pilsok has created a connection between the material’s original purpose and the people the jacket honours.
The symbolism is powerful without overwhelming the design. The original markings remain visible, allowing the fabric itself to carry much of the story.
At Green Prophet, we’ve been following Pilsok’s inventive work with discarded materials, including its popular Beetle bag and airbag backpack collection. The company has previously explained that it takes approximately three automotive airbags to make one backpack.
These are tough, technical fabrics, originally engineered to withstand extreme conditions. In the hands of a careful designer, they can become something entirely new. What makes Pilsok interesting is its attention to detail. The studio isn’t simply replacing virgin fabric with recycled material. It is using the characteristics of that material — its folds, textures, seams and industrial graphics — to create a distinct design language.
