I was firstly, looking into the concept of being able to catch air with the garment and rolled down into a floating bag. However, after exploring with the cloth, it gave several complications and the process of doing so in the event of an emergency, takes up too much time. Hence it would not be feasible in the event of an emergency, where everything has to be executed quickly.

Alternatively, I was thinking along the lines of making the upper body inflatable instead, rather than having the entire piece doing so. I looked into something very organic first.

The inflatable piece at the neck area was hence deduced to something flatter, of which the user can use comfortably anywhere. Was thinking of using reversible buttons to attach and detach the piece.

At the same time, I was also thinking of having a detachable portion that could also be rolled down to into a floating bag.

 

Thinking of several design options for the back



Final Sketch