I will explore the Hug shirt, Hussein Chalayan’s designs, the Galaxy dress, the Nike+ Sportswatch GPS, a wallet that stops you spending your money, a hidden camera and a bracelet that tells you when your phone is ringing.
Firstly I will explore wearable technologyWearable technologies are clothing and accessories incorporating computer and advanced electronic technologies. The designs often incorporate practical functions and features as well as making a statement or establishing a technological look.
I think that wearables will be the future tool for personal communication. It will be like a dynamic surface around our bodies able to connect us to people and places. The most used communication tool today is the mobile phone. I believe that the wearable technology and the telecommunication market will merge in the not very distant future. Many wearables are compatible via Bluetooth with mobile phones.
The technology that is being designed is safe for both the wearer and the environment.
‘Wearable Technology’ means that we will wear it so we will always have it with us. It might be easier and quicker to use than the gadgets we have now and that will make it popular. Instead of carrying gadgets in our pockets we’ll be wearing it.
The Hug Shirt is one of the innovations of the year as voted by Time Magazine. It started off as an idea but then slowly developed and ended up coming into existence. It was made by Cute circuit and designed by Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz.
How does it work? When touching the red areas on your Hug Shirt your mobile phone receives the sensors data via Bluetooth (hug pressure, skin temperature, heartbeat rate, time you are hugging for, etc) and then delivers it to the other person which wears a Hug Shirt as well. It works together with Java enabled cellphones.
It sends the hug that you want – big or small. It receives the heartbeat rate, skin temperature, and strength of touch so you can send the amount of love that you want to send.
It sends the hug that you want – big or small. It receives the heartbeat rate, skin temperature, and strength of touch so you can send the amount of love that you want to send.
Another product that Cutecircuit have made is the Galaxy Dress on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. This dress has 24,000 LEDs and lights up.
The dress is made with 2mm by 2mm LEDs woven into a silk chiffon and organza crinoline fabrics. This makes the dress more flowing and wearable. Power comes from several iPod batteries that are hidden into the garment itself.
Another person who uses lights as wearable technology is Hussein Chalayan who is a famous fashion designer who thinks out of the box with his work.
This dress (above left) is a video dress and has 15000 led lights bedded in to the dress. One shows roses opening and closing and the other shows sharks moving in the water.
He also designed a dress made of materials used in aircraft construction which changes shape by remote control and ‘Readings’ a dress comprising of over 200 moving lasers presenting an extraordinary spectacle of light ( above right).
This watch is like having a personal trainer. It tells you everything you need to know about what you’re doing. It records distance, pace, elapsed time, BPM (heart rate). And calories burned – as if you were running on a treadmill. It is made by Nike and called NIKE+ SPORTWATCH GPS. I think this will be successful because it is a well known brand.
After you’ve finished your work out you can connect it to a computer via a USB to record and monitor what you’ve done. You can share your information with other people, create a map of where you’ve been, find a new route, track progress, challenge other people and set goals.
This watch means that you can connect with other runners around the world to increase your motivation and make it for fun. It is also a sporty and athletic design which looks quite durable.
This wallet, called the “Proverbial Wallet” links your bank account to your wallet via your mobile phone’s Bluetooth function. It lets you know when you can’t afford to buy something. It comes in 3 designs:
“The “Mother Bear” — the most marketable of the trio — operates on a sort of bear trap model. It syncs up with a monthly budget that you preset. The less money in your account, the tighter that wallet clamps down. The “Peacock” style connects to your assets, and inflates and deflates based on your worth an the “Bumblebee” buzzes with each transaction, with a tiny buzz for a cup of coffee and a longer, stronger blast for the new Porsche.”
This is a new invention by Kodak that is designed by Lindsey Picket, who has made a digital camera described as “high tech device hidden in a low tech disguise.”You can take pictures with it closed and also when it is open you can see the screen to take your photo.
The impact of new technology on the fashion industry
For this section I will concentrate on CAD and the Internet.
Computer Aided Design is all the technology and software that you use on a computer. This can include: creating your own animations, pattern filling, editing photos, creating your own images, editing your work, creating storyboards, creating business cards, creating vector drawings, digital photography, image manipulation, Photoshop, view YouTube tutorials, scan your work in and transform it. It includes Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Colour Matters,
It helps not only the designers but also the associated roles such as photographers, graphic designers, who might design promotional or advertising work, journalists and magazine editors, catwalk designers etc.
Using CAD, you can save time on measuring and sketching so you have more time for designing. It is a quicker way of getting precise detail and the right measurements. It is quicker to make patterns. It helps you with measurements to make them more precise. CAD allows you to share a better more detailed view , rather than a quick sketch.
CAD has made life easier for students. There are lots of different options on the computer for you to choose from so you could have more design ideas. It also makes it easier for you to make adjustments.
“CAD/CAM (computer- aided design and computer- aided manufacturing) was introduced into the fashion industry in the 1940s as a stand- alone system. It was originally developed for the Textile and Apparel Industry as part of the manufacturing and production process, which includes creating textiles, drafting and grading patterns.” (Burke, S. 2006 pg.11)
Computers have had a massive effect on the Fashion Industry: using a computer gives people confidence to design their own promotional material such as business cards.
“The Internet is an excellent tool for researching the latest fashions and trends, from fashion catwalk to street, from stage to screen, from art to music, and all this in less time than it takes to pack a suitcase and jump o a plane.” (Burke, S. 2006. Pg. 162)
The internet has allowed you to access different facilities, develop more ideas, and increase access to different information. Email has speeded up contact between businesses and allowed you to contact more people globally more quickly. It has also enable you to look at other people’s work.
WGSN is a website where you can find out about trends, colour palettes, fashion shows and other things which can help you design and gives you inspiration for your own designs and helps businesses plan ahead. This allows trend forecasting to ehlp businesses plan their future collections.
The negative aspects of technology mean that people have an increased reliance on the internet and not everything on it can be trusted. Another issue is copyright. Your work can be stolen easily and passed off as someone else’s.
Bibliography
Burke s. (2006) Fashion Computing, China, Burke Publishing
Taylor P. (1990) computer in the fashion industry, Heinemann
Gray S. (1998) CAD/CAM in clothing and textiles, the design council, Gower
Aldrich W. (1994) CAD in clothing and textile: a collection of expert views, Blackwell science
<http://www.scienceahead.com/entry/top-21-wearable-technologies> 17/03/11
<http://www.crunchwear.com/cute-circuit-galaxy-led-dress/> 10/03/11
<http://www2.wearable-technologies.com/showsconferences;jsessionid=604E8103C0A3B40E9F7AE9645FD3D5C3> 03/03/11
<http://www.wgsn.com/> 24/02/11
<(http://www2.wearable-technologies.com/)> 17/02/11
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