Lea & Hero Jacket
In the commercial world, wearable technology is synonymous with functional fashion. Typically technology is used to enhance “performance” or as an interface for other gadgets worn close to the space of the body.
With Fashion Phreaking, Nancy Tilbury has taken a more poetic approach to wearable tech. She has designed a methodology that integrates “playful technologies” into garments, transforming ordinary clothes into “digital skins” that extend “body communication to the viewer and wearer.”
Spike Jacket
These “playful technologies” explore different methods of communication using a simple narrative as a starting point.
The Lea and Hero jackets, for example, are inspired by star-crossed lovers while the Spike jacket functions as a “personal barometer “or “digital shield” to indicate invasion of the wearer’s personal space.
My personal favorite is the Wink shorts that indicates your relationship status or availability. Wink is inspired by the past use of coded hankies worn in the back pocket by homosexual men to show sexual preference.
To learn more about Fashion Phreaking, check out the blog here.
