This weekend at New York Fashion Week, Chromat showed their vision of the future of fashion tech. While some brands are focused on LEDs and similar ways for wearers to express themselves, Chromat’s garments are designed to react to you and your environment. Powered by Intel’s new Curie chip, which was designed for wearables, Chromat showed off two fashion tech looks: a temperature adjusting sports bra and a dress that reacts to adrenaline. The sports bra is the more practical of the two. The Curie module inside the bra monitors perspiration, respiration, and body temperature. Based off of those readings, vents on the bra can open to provide more air to help your body better temperature regulate. Once your body’s temperature is controlled, the vents can close. The adrenaline reacting dress features a large 3D printed structure on the back, this structure can expand to become larger when the Curie module senses the wearer’s adrenaline levels rise. The concept is to physically mimic the body’s fight-or-flight instinct, in the same way animals will increase their stance when they are preparing to fight (think: a bear standing on its hind legs).
It is interesting to see how different designers are interpreting fashion tech. It illustrates how powerful technology can be in fashion, powering both design and increased functionality. While it is unlikely that you will be able to head to the store to pickup Chromat’s sports bra, it helps set the stage for what will come. Also, a big shout out to Chromat’s model casting, which was racially diverse and included plus sized models.
