Taking inspiration from Sikh warriors to create Tough Turban
Art Director Vic Bath on an original idea that is helping Harley Davidson reach their diverse community
When Harley Davidson came to Zulu Alpha Kilo to help them reach a more diverse audience, the Toronto-based creative company conceptualised Tough Turban — which looks and functions like a regular turban, but is as tough as a motorcycle helmet. The groundbreaking innovation is helping Sikh motorcyclists get out on the open road, without having to choose between their beliefs and safety.
In the third episode of the Designing for Impact series, CEO and Group ECD of Frost*collective Vince Frost talks to Art Director Vic Bath about the importance of diversity and how this incredible new product works — with Bath explaining that inspiration for the idea came from the chainmail turbans Sikh warriors used to wear.
“Through conversations with the Sikh motorcycle community, we discovered that back in the day, certain warriors who wore turbans and went into battle actually had chainmail underneath their turbans,” says Bath. “We took inspiration from that and created 3D printed chainmail that was actually interwoven into the turban. It’s much lighter than a helmet, because we could disperse the weight. Since a turban is several feet of fabric, everytime you wrap it, it’s another layer of protection.”
In a new series with the Designing for Impact podcast and D&AD, host Vince Frost, explores the role of creativity and design in transforming the way we live. Listen to the first episode, where D&AD Chairman Tim Lindsay discusses the Impact programme and the history of purpose driven work at D&AD, here. Listen to this episode on Apple here and Spotify here.