Wearables are really changing the way we think about clothing and their function in our lives. Designer Ying Gao, a Canadian-based fashion designer and professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal, has designed two dresses that are truly on the cutting-edge of wearable technology. Her collection, known as “(no) where (now) where” consists of two dresses that are embedded with an eye-tracking system that makes them move and light up when a spectator stares at them. Also, the system can turn off the lights, causing the dresses themselves to light up. The effect is quite extraordinary- when the dresses move and glow in the dark they look like glowing sea creatures.
The dresses are an incredible example of how sensory technologies are changing the fashion world and introducing garments that are both playful and interactive. When the viewer stares at the dresses, tiny robotic motors are activated that gently move parts of the dresses, changing their patterns and outer shape. To make the effect even more dramatic, the dresses are made using photoluminescent thread, and when they light up in the dark the effect is truly amazing.
Both dresses have a soft off-white color and an almost transparent feel. One dress is covered in tendrils of photo-luminescent thread that dangle from the pleated fabric. The other, has a more defined base-layer with fabric cut into ribbons that are loosely bunched over the top.
Design: Ying Gao
Photography: Dominique Lafond
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