There has never been a more exciting time for fashion lovers. Now, people can access a plethora of products by simply switching on their laptops, tablets and phones. Whether they are after new handbags, makeup bags or anything else, they have plenty of superb items to choose from.
Meanwhile, some of the more off-beat fashion designers are playing around with different forms of technology to create truly mind-bending products.
A close relationship
According to an article on BBC News, the connection between technology and fashion is getting stronger. It stated: “With geek chic an established fashion trend and wearable gadgets potentially the next big thing, what started as a flirtation between fashion and technology is turning into a close relationship.”
A skirt made of phones
Offering an example, the news provider pointed to the world’s first skirt made of smartphones. Created using Nokia Lumia 1520 and 1020 handsets, the unusual garment is the result of a collaboration between the Finnish phone company, fashion designer Fyodor Golan and creative design house Kin. The phones each display different parts of an image to give the illusion of one big picture. These images change as wearers move, mimicking the way the tones of fabrics alter when in motion.
According to Annie Kearney from Nokia Brand Lab, the piece is a “technical work of art”. She added: “We wanted to experiment with the possibilities between fashion and technology. It’s so much more than a skirt made of phones, it’s playing with the idea of how tech can influence and be influenced by the world around it.”
A bag that controls spending
Many people wish they had more self-restraint when it comes to spending. Playing on this idea, Australian comparison site Credit Card Finder has come up with a bag that tracks wearers’ spending and locks them out if they hit their credit limits. The product uses an Arduino processor and a radio-frequency identification tag, which are mounted in its base. It is also fitted with a clock and can be programmed to stay closed during the most dangerous times of the day.
So far, interested consumers are being asked to register and the firm has said it will only launch full-scale production if there is enough demand. It remains to be seen how popular a handbag with a mind of its own can be.
Hats that light up
Anyone who watched this year’s Superbowl won’t have failed to notice the fact that, at times, the audience transformed into a human light show. This was because Canadian firm Pixmob handed out 80,000 hats embedded with LED technology to ticketholders at the event. During the halftime break, the crowd become a mass of pixels.
The hats were controlled by wireless transmitters, which allowed Pixmob to alter the colour, brightness and pulse of the lights.
More conventional tastes
Of course, demand for skirts made from phones, light-up hats and self-locking bags may be limited. Most people have somewhat more traditional tastes when it comes to fashion items. Luckily for consumers, there are plenty of fabulous items to choose from, including embroidered bags.
