Digitally printed fashion

Mashallah Design and Linda Kostowski have created incredibly beautiful garments using an unfolding polygon method that is commonly used by industrial designers to explore dimensional forms through paper models. It's a terrific example of an innovative use of technology that directly informs the aesthetics of the garment. Here's how they describe the process:

"Three people are portrayed digitally by scanning their bodies. The output of this scan is a 3D file, which resolution is defined by the amount of polygons, similar to pixels in a bitmap. ... The 3D data is turned into 2D sewing patterns by the use of the unfolding function which is a common tool in the industrial design process to make paper models with, the single fabric pieces and the inner interface which defines the edges are cut out by the help of a lasercutter."

Source via Makezine.

Skin as the electronic platform

Philips Design has a series of projects that explore the body and skin as the platform for electronics. One of the project called SkinTiles by Lucy McRae, consists of electronic sensing jewelry that adheres directly to the skin. As described by Philips, "It is a new genre of product; a generation of wireless, stick-on body sensors that re-define traditional body adornment."

In another project called Skin:Tattoo, the technology is directly integrated into the skin to form a reactive tattoo. The tattoo responds to touch, which changes and morphs the shape and design. Together, the projects make a statement on the sensuality and intimate aspect of technology that we wear as our second skin, and in this case, as our skin itself. They also explore an implementation of technology that is directly integrated into the aesthetics of our own bodies.

Dressing in technology

Jean-Baptiste Labrune, Dana Gordon, Michel De Meere, and Dirk Van Oosterbosch hosted a workshop called Designing Hybrid Wearables at Mediamatic in Amsterdam. The workshop aims to focus on merging communication technology with the things you wear. Here's how they describe it:

"More and more objects are being connected to networks, and become carriers, collectors, and transmitters of various kinds of data. ... We're not just talking about pimping your outfit - we're investigating the electronic extrapolation of the role of clothing and fashion. And we're looking at transferring possibilities of other communication devices to clothing, where they may find a more natural home..."

The topics they explored ranged from clothes as media, social possibilities of RFID technology, tangible interfaces, conductive materials, and seamlessly integrating communication technology into garments.

Girls hacking footwear

The growing Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture is a terrific platform for designers to innovate and explore new designs for wearable technology without having to rely on engineers and developers to build proof-of-concepts. Norene Leddy hosted a workshop called Project Walkway at Eyebeam that invited teenage girls to create their own technology-infused footwear. The workshop was inspired by Leddy’s Aphrodite project, which is a DIY kit that allows you to electronically enhance platform shoes.

What’s great about this workshop in additional to using DIY techniques to explore potential designs, is that Leddy aims to introduce teenage girls to electronics and wearable technology by hacking an electronics kit originally targeted to boys called a “Macho Meter”. Here’s how they describe it:

"A foam platform shoe is outfitted with the "Macho Meter," an electronics kit designed for young boys that uses basic circuitry and LED lights. The Eyebeam Center's Girl Eye View program adapted the Macho Meter into a technical fashion statement during the Project Walkway program."

More info can be found on the Project Walkway blog.

Hand-recording your experiences

Valeria Fuso has designed Jik, a glove that records your experiences by capturing video, images and sound in the context of where you are. Fuso is brilliantly exploring natural gestures as the interface that triggers recording actions such as holding your hand in the shape of a circle up to your eye, which tells the glove to begin recording an image and holding your hand up like signing the number "5" to tell the glove to record sound.

The idea of using natural gestures to trigger actions is ripe with opportunities. Now that this version is complete, I wish to see Jik implemented into something other than a glove so that it is more seamlessly integrated into the things we do and wear. In other words, what if Fuso's natural gestures were implemented into a full-fledged garment?

Imagine a garment that understands the direction you turn, if you are bent or sitting, if your arms are lifted or not, the elevation your cuffs are in, if it's buttoned up or not... How can this idea be pushed further into a more seamlessly integrated solution where the technology is more discrete and hidden?

A soundscape that wraps around you

Dana Gordon and Alejandro Zamudio Sanchez designed Undercover blanket for the Droog exhibit Garden of Delight. The project is an ultra soft blanket that wirelessly connects to any music source in your home and plays a soundscape as it wraps around you.

The act of wrapping yourself in sound is quite charming and calming. Even more charming are the volume controls integrated into the top corners that use a "tugging" gesture. Tug at them, much like you do when you try and pull the blanket closer to you, and it adjusts the volume. The speakers are also nicely integrated into the aesthetics of the blanket making them look much like traditional quilting buttons.

More photos of the project and the making of it found here via Danka's Flickr set.