Ikeuchi Hiroto collaborated with Balenciaga to create wearable cyborg sculptures. The artist leans on his love for the Star Wars franchise, the imaginary robotic animals of Zoids, and other pop culture influences to create the robotic wearables. The new collection is featured under Balenciaga's SS 2022 campaign and marks Ikeuchi Hiroto's largest solo exhibition.
The exhibition is on display in Tokyo and features a range of high-tech mechanical masks that transform into cyborg-like structures. Most of the artist's work employs recycled materials like old motherboards and plastic wiring. He explains that "it's just that recent products are simple and small, and their parts don't give me much room for customization, so old products allow me to use more parts for my work."
Futuristic Robotic Wearables
Ikeuchi Hiroto and Balenciaga Created Cyborg Wearables for the SS22
Trend Themes
1. Wearable Sculptures - Wearable sculptures are a disruptive innovation opportunity for fashion and art industries, as they offer a unique blend of technology and fashion.
2. Recycled Material Innovation - Innovation in recycled materials can drive disruptive innovation, as seen through Ikeuchi Hiroto's use of recycled motherboard and plastic wiring to create his robotic wearables.
3. Pop Culture Influenced Wearables - Wearable technology that draws inspiration from pop culture, like the Star Wars franchise and Zoids, offers disruptive innovation opportunities through blending technology and nostalgia in fashion and art.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion - The fashion industry can embrace disruptive innovation through wearable sculptures that offer unique tech and fashion blends.
2. Art - The art industry can drive disruptive innovation by exploring the innovative use of recycled materials, like old motherboards and plastic wiring in robotic sculptures.
3. Technology - The technology industry can explore the intersection of pop culture and wearables to create new innovations in wearable technology.