Designer Pauline van Dongen is known for creating responsive clothing pieces which aim to enhance wearers' comfort levels while simultaneously relieving pain. Her latest design is the unisex denim 'Issho jacket' that gives wearers a subtle back rub while loosening stress and tension.
Unveiled at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, this garment is embedded with conductive fibers, and motorized parts, which are responsive to touch. Once the garment is touched, its built-in sensors are set off, resulting in a subtle back stroke for wearers.
To create the Issho jacket, Pauline van Dongen teamed up with Milan-based company Italdenim to perfect her textile of choice and described the intuitive nature of the piece in a recent interview with Dezeen: "Issho works without a smartphone, which "was done deliberately to move away from utilising gadgets as interface."
Back-Massaging Jackets
Pauline van Dongen's Touch-sensitive Jacket is Embedded with Sensors
Trend Themes
1. Responsive Clothing - The development of responsive garments that enhance comfort levels and relieve pain presents opportunities for creating innovative wearable technology.
2. Embedded Sensors - The integration of conductive fibers and sensors in clothing opens up possibilities for creating touch-responsive garments with various applications in the fashion and healthcare industries.
3. Intuitive Interface - Designing clothing that functions without the reliance on smartphones or gadgets offers potential for disruptive innovation in the wearable technology market.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion - The fashion industry can leverage the concept of responsive clothing and embedded sensors to create innovative and comfortable clothing options that cater to consumer needs and preferences.
2. Healthcare - The healthcare industry can explore the use of touch-responsive garments with embedded sensors to enhance therapeutic experiences and improve patient comfort during recovery and rehabilitation processes.
3. Wearable Technology - The development of intuitive, touch-responsive clothing that doesn't require smartphones or gadgets as interfaces presents opportunities for disruptive innovation in the wearable technology industry.