Clothed Circuits
It may seem hard to believe — especially after you’ve witnessed the big vats of amber-colored ooze with pale, fleshy, "skin" bubbling on the surface — but Suzanne Lee, a senior research Fellow at Central Saint Martins in London, says that there’s no reason why jackets made from bacterial cellulose can’t be sexy.
"The sexiness comes down to what you do with the material. If I was wearing one of these jackets and I didn’t tell you what it was, you wouldn’t know."
In the case of Lee’s "BioCouture" project, that big web of slime screamed to be made into colorful denim, biker, and bomber-style jackets. And yes, they all look hot.
Lee is one of the handful of designers in the world pushing the boundaries of science and apparel. Advances range from utilitarian — answering the big questions like "how can I recharge my iPod" and "how can I stay warm and dry"— to the whimsical, and even magical.
Want a dress that redesigns itself based on your mood? No problem. Want to hug a friend who’s halfway around the world? Done.
CuteCircuit, a U.K.-based "Fashionable Technology" company, has accomplished both. Their "Hug Shirt" was among Time magazine’s Best Inventions of 2006. This Bluetooth accessory for cell phones lets friends share wireless hugs, transmitting heat, pressure, and even the sensation of the hugger’s heartbeats. And the shirts are heartbreakingly cute.
"We’re not just trying to stick wires in clothing," says CuteCircuit’s co-founder, Francesca Rosella, "it’s about making it work like magic so you don’t feel like you’re wearing anything different from normal fashion, but there’s something really special that empowers you to do something amazing."
Another of their creations, the Skirteleon, certainly fits the bill. This dress lets you transform your style by reprogramming its colors and patterns during the course of the day. You can be blue at work, sunny at lunch, red-hot for a date, and a little cloudy in morning — without changing anything but your firmware.
On the more practical side, we can look to advances in exotic textiles that are magical in their own way. Alexandra Fede, an Italian "scientific-stylist," offers us her line of "Anti Violence" apparel. Made from a fabric that’s said to be as light and soft as cashmere, these garments aren’t just stain resistant — they’re bulletproof (9mm and 44 Magnum Full Metal Jacket to be precise). It’s also knife proof, fireproof and wards away pesky grenade shrapnel.
"More demanding people want more from their clothes," says Fede, "they want more than good looks." Sure, but wherever you’re going that requires the Anti Violence suit, count me out.
Here in the U.S., Reusch, a maker of hi-tech gloves for world-class athletes (and wealthy ski fanatics), is taking advantage of new materials to ensure your trip to the mountains isn’t spoiled by something as unfashionable as cold weather.
Their "ThermoTec" glove integrates sensor pads that monitor your temperature and provide the perfect amount of heat. They’re also making big fans in the professional soccer arena, by offering gear made from active membranes that respond to body temperature. Pores in the membrane open to let body heat and moisture out and then close as it cools.
David Banning, president of Reusch USA, points to the many challenges that lie ahead if this type of technology is going to trickle down to the masses. "If you look at a glove, even without the technical issues of not crossing wires, it’s a hard thing to sew. With these high-end technical gloves, you’re not going to take it to a basic factory where your workers are getting 50 cents an hour."
CuteCircuit’s Rosella has experienced similar manufacturing woes. "You have these electronics which are soft and look like a normal thread. If you send that to a factory, they are used to seeing a thread, and if two threads overlap, that’s perfectly fine. But if you have two threads that conduct electricity..." That’s not the sort of shorts people want to buy.
The pain is probably worth it though. Market research firm, Venture Development Corporation, estimates that the worldwide market for smart and interactive textile products will reach $1.12 billion by 2010, representing a growth of 30 percent per year. Another firm, Gartner Research, predicts that 60 percent of people in developed countries will own some sort of "communication garment" by 2010.
So, will it soon be not enough for our clothes to just look nice? Will they have to be more than beautiful? No way, says Lee.
"The idea that if suddenly we can produce a jacket that does everything but make you a cup of coffee, and everyone’s going to want to buy it, really flatly misses the point," she says. "What motivates people to buy clothing is complex, but certainly sex has a lot to do with it. You exclude that at your peril." Rosella agrees, putting it rather bluntly: "I really have a problem with cyborgs."
— Paul Stuart
