Communication Apparel

For her thesis work at Parson's, Alis Cambol explored the future language of wearables with an emphasis on social dynamics. Her work, Communication Apparel, incorporates the non-verbal communication habits of animals into clothing.

The Lizzard Dress and Octopus cape are two prototypes that use responsive technology to simulate animal behaviors in response to danger, aggression, pleasure, and other feelings.

The first is a dress inspired by the frilled lizard, whose collar raises in moments of aggression and fear, as an attempt to make itself look large enough intimidate an opponent. Using servo motors in the collar and a flex sensor embedded in the sleeve of the coat, the dress's collar raises when the wearer crosses her arms – a sign of being uncomfortable or defensive.

Octopus Cape

The second is a cape inspired by the octopus, which changes colors in response to feelings of anxiety. Using thermochromic inks, the octopus cape reveals a pattern of metallic, thorns when triggered. A soft switch, located on the side of the cape, triggers the color change.

Soft Switch on Cape

Thorn Pattern

What I love about Alis's work is that she has clearly thought through the interaction of the wearables. She uses intuitive gestures to control the electronics such as the act of crossing one's arms or holding onto the end of a piece of fabric like "a child might twist the end of her shirt or skirt when nervous."

To learn more, follow this link to a few lovely videos of the two completed projects. BTW, the two are a part of a larger collection of 12 concepts. Can wait to see the rest.