Have you ever wondered what the future of fashion might look like? I have. As a little girl, I would always imagine the people of the future wearing metallic clothing, almost robotic in nature. Some imagined a monochromatic world, and others believed in a world full of color as the future of fashion. Movies such as The Fifth Element, Blade Runner, and even Back to the Future II have all depicted theories on the future of fashion. Yet the truth is, no one knows. It’s very hard to imagine a world that you cannot see. However, now we have a realistic glimpse of what it could be.
Fashion is always affected by the outside environment. Is it cold outside? Hot? Climate affects our clothing, but what if the emotions, actions and moods of a person could affect what they were wearing?
Behnaz Farahi, an architect and designer, created an interactive vest called “Caress of the Gaze” that can move depending on what the person is seeing and feeling. She based her design on human skin, which is constantly in motion. The vest expands and contracts depending on the internal and external stimulations of the body, like temperature and moisture, but also feelings such as fear, excitement, and anger.
“Everything in the very end is connecting us and our body to the space around,” Farahi says.
Involuntary biological responses affect the movement of the vest, like yawning, shivering and the movement of your pupils. Controlled by an eye-tracking camera above the sternum, it is almost like a second skin; it acts as an extension of your body. The vest can pretty much say, “Back off” without you having to say a word.
This is revolutionary because it explores the use of 3D printing in fashion. We now know that 3D printing has the ability to be flexible, exploring densities, and can even use a combination of many different types of materials. This has the potential for upping the fashion game today and bringing us to a whole new world of diversity through connecting fashion with art, technology and design.
Also, this shows how clothing can interact with other people. Imagine a world where you don’t need to speak, where your clothing communicates for you. Crazy, right? There is still a very long way to go before getting to that, but one thing is for sure: dating would be so much easier with this vest on.
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You can read more about Behnaz Farahi’s work on www.behnazfarahi.com.
Email the author at clarapettersen95@gmail.com or visit her website at www.clarapettersen.com.