Image: www.shop.cutecircuit.comWith the increase of new technological channels such as blogging, social networking and the e-commerce explosion, it is no wonder that new technology has fused with fashion – and in such exceptional ways. Take for example Hussein Chalayan, one of the most innovative fashion designers in the world, who integrates fashion with architecture and technology to create extraordinary pieces of art that can also be worn. His catwalk shows are often perceived as performances due to his use of music, cinema and installation. In 2008, Chalayan designed a collection of LED dresses in collaboration with Swarovski – his work was on display at the Design Museum in London, 2009. Another incredible example of his fashion fusion with technology -Chalayan designed a living room where each object was created with the purpose of being worn or disguised. For example, the clothes were disguised as chair covers with suitcases as the chairs. A women’s skirt was also converted into a wooden coffee table. You can see all these incredible images on Chalayan’s website: www.chalayan.com/afterwords/
Image: www.shop.cutecircuit.com “Technology touches every part of our lives and is becoming increasingly prevalent in fashion in terms of fabric and design.” – Little Miss Geek founder Belinda Parmar. Other amazing examples of technology within fashion lie with Cute Circuit, whose ‘Ready to Wear’ collection was the “first ever micro-technology infused fashion collection on the market and continues to lead the way in interactive RTW.” (Cutecircuit.com 2010) The brand was endorsed by celebrities, such as Katy Perry who wore a light pink gown adorned with LED lights. Nicole Scherzinger also wore the world’s first ‘Haute Couture Twitter Dress’ which included the latest technology in LED lighting showing animations and realtime tweets. By using the hashtag #tweetthedress, fans could see their messages flash over the dress. See the video at: www.cutecircuit.com/collections/twitter-dress/. If you would like to get your hands on one of these extraordinary designs, the ‘K’ dress from CuteCircuit was inspired by the one worn by Katy Perry and would set you back £1,500.00. The LED lights can be set to whatever colour and pattern you choose via a controller and can charged using a USB right off your laptop!
New technology is not only being featured in Fashion, but also in Beauty…NASA technology for your skin? Yes please! This new ‘Youth Booster’ moisturiser by IOMA is boasting to use the same MEMS technology “found in the Curiosity robot currently investigating Mars as part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission.” (Vogue) The MEMS sensor cap lets you test your skins hydration, by counting the number of LED lights that appear to tell you how many times to apply the cream. – Exclusively at Harrods: Priced at £149.
