Ridiculous-looking Hilfiger jacket charges your phone via the sun

You’re out and about town and it happens: your phone warns you it’s down to just a few percentages of life before it quits on you leaving you completely sad, alone and without your trusted portal to the web and your favorite apps. But wait, it’s 2014, it is the future — so you simply plug your phone into your coat, it starts charging, and you’re good to go. Or at least that’s apparently clothing company Tommy Hilfiger’s vision for the future of mobile charging.

In partnership with solar manufacturer Pvilion, Tommy Hilfiger’s unique new jacket contains 7 to 10 solar panels on the back and stores the energy it collects from the sun’s rays into a special power bank that stores up to 6000 mAh of energy. The battery can then be connected to up to two devices via USB while you wear the jacket, providing plenty of extra juice. Tommy doesn’t specify how long it actually takes to charge up the battery, but it is worth noting that the battery and panels are completely removable for washing and the battery can also be charged up through a regular outlet.

We have to admit that this thing sounds cool, but it certainly doesn’t look too appealing. This thing is just oozing with fashion, or not. While there are versions of the jacket for both men and women, we find it hard to believe anyone would feel that comfortable wearing this in public. Perhaps as a camping trip accessory, then? Only if you don’t mind paying $599 for something arguably so ugly, and therefore niche, that you’ll barely ever wear it.

With a high price tag and unconventional design you might wonder why Tommy Hilfiger even bothered. To their credit, the limited edition jacket is probably more about making a statement then bringing in the dough. Further confirming that pure profit isn’t the aim here, Hilfiger is donating 50 percent of the proceeds from the jacket towards the Fresh Air Fund — a non-profit agency that provides free summer vacations to the country for New York City children from disadvantaged neighborhoods.

What do you think of this unique charging jacket, if it were a bit cheaper and a touch less hideous, would consider picking something like this up?