New Dimensions in Fashion
In the past couple of years, the fashion industry has been experimenting and fusing with the technological world, ranging from 3D printed pieces peppering the runways to custom made insoles from a 3D scan of one's foot. While browsing around the internet about the tech side of today's fashion industry, I noticed two very interesting garment projects which combine3D printing technology with the social interactions of the wearer. Caress of the Gaze is a wearable-tech garment, created by LA-based artist and architect Behnaz Farahi, that responds to the gazes of others.
(Image via The Guardian)
The cape utilizes an eye-tracking camera at the front of the chest which can accurately estimate the age and gender of the gazer. The garment will then mimic the body language of being stared at, gently shifting its form and morphing its 3D printed fibers. Farahi has referred to her goal in creating the Caress of the Gaze cape as desiring to create “an extension of our own skin” in a garment. The "conscious" cape was inspired largely by the animal world around us, with attention paid to the the various textures of skin, scales, and feathers. The Vimeo video of the project morphing and responding is definitely worth a watch (here)!
Another very interesting extension of 3D printing and social interactions is the x.pose project.
(Image via Behance)
A collaboration between designers Xuedi Chen and Pedro G.C. Oliveira, the x.pose garment connects 3D printed fashion with the digital social era. The 3D printed bodice uses changing opacity in its panels as a social commentary on the lack of privacy in the twenty-first century habit of sharing and posting every moment and/or funny cat video of our lives online. The top connects to a mobile app that tracks and collects the wearer's digital interactions and online attraction and will then reduce the opacity of the triangular panels on the garment, revealing different levels of the wearer's skin. The more socially active the wearer is, the more transparent she will become. I also definitely recommend checking out the video for this project (here)!
