Fashionable Aesthetics: Wearable Technology

Style...The Final Frontier... Parsons The New School for Design presented a book launch for assistant professor, Sabine Seymour's Functional Aesthetics, the sequel to her first book, Fashionable Technology.  This book highlights state-of-the-art fashion technology and reveals artistic examples focusing on the aesthetic and functional aspects.

There was an electronic paper workshop that celebrated the next wave of design merging textiles and technology. The series celebrated the launch of the Fashionable Technology Lab at Parsons, a research center that explores the intersection of design, technology, science and fashion.

Lab director Sabine Seymour, "We live in a world that is extraordinarily dependent upon technology, and it is up to designers to harness the power of technology to create functional, aesthetically pleasing work." Her research focuses on functional aesthetics in fashion, media, and technology. "Through this series, we will illuminate the current landscape of projects that utilize technology in innovative ways."

High-tech garment engineering, merged with high fashion is really becoming a movement.  Project Runway's Diana Eng produced  runway shows of inflatable wedding gowns, shimmering LED dresses and collapsable origami jackets made a splash at Makerfaire and Eyebeam gallery. Makerfaire also had other inventors with illuminated accessories and functional style.

Mainstream retailers like Uniqlo heavily promoted their HeatTech fabric from Japanese technology.  It is a lightweight fabric that supposedly generates heat when worn.

Is it possible that the future muses of fashion could be Einstein and Tesla?  Can we as designers blur the line between bad-ass stylist and mad-scientist? Hack away!