Fashion Tech: Garments Come Alive Through Robotics
It’s not science fiction — Designer to unveil living “Tentacle” dress Dec.14
West Palm Beach, Florida Nov.18, 2019- Imagine…clothing that brings our moods to life through movement, lighting and sound. Dresses that react as someone approaches or to environmental changes. Garments that perform mechanical tasks as they are worn. The terms ‘robotic fashion’ and ‘electronic couture’ sound like science fiction but the creations of one designer bring art, fashion, science and hi-tech to life! In the emerging field of “FashionTech,” Anouk Wipprecht’s creations stir emotions, evoke reactions and take imagination to the next level.
Her work is featured by high-profile clients such as Rolls Royce and at major events including the Super Bowl. Her latest creation, in collaboration with Nextasy, the innovation laboratory of Cirque Du Soleil Entertainment Group, brings an underwater fantasy to life. The new dress, aptly named “Miss Wiggles,” uses artificial intelligence to analyze the wearer’s surroundings. With cameras for eyes and a computer for a brain, the piece comes to life when it detects a face. A smile generates a wild positive reaction as the dress dances and illuminates with pleasure. Interaction between the wearer and a new encounter stimulates conversation and a new relationship. This aquatic-themed electronic couture debuts at the Palm Beach Maker Faire December 14th at the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium at 10AM. It follows other space-age designs from Wipprecht which include an interactive spider dress, a personality-based perfume creator, clothing that emits smoke and even a dress that mixes drinks at social gatherings.
Wipprecht’s work with Nextasy has resulted in multiple innovative creations this year. A collaboration with SAP was the talk of 2019 New York Fashion Week when costumes creating custom elixirs and perfumes were presented. “Our explorations of the future of live entertainment continue having us explore the space between technology and the audience. When we looked at our audience appeal for our costumes, it made perfect sense to investigate how tech and costumes could play a larger role in our pre-and-post show experience, and potentially on stage as well. Breaking down the barriers enables our audience to interact more closely with the live entertainment experience and the potential WOW effect becomes even more significant for our guests. » says Diane Quinn, Chief Creative Officer at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. To bring “Miss Wiggles” and other high tech fashion designs to life requires a meeting of creative minds. Wipprecht adds, “In this case the process, from research to design to execution, brought together creative talents including the Nextasy creation team, her partner Jeff Cacossa, Software developer Bryan Bonvallet and help from 3D specialists Igor Knezevic and Shapeways. Exploring robotics on the body involves creation of detailed mock-ups including mechanics, design, coding, soldering and ensuring all the components act as a unified piece. When complete, we reveal a piece that blends art, technology and fashion into couture designed to evoke emotion.”
About the FashionTech Dress:
“Miss Wiggles” is an animatronic 3D-printed dress with robotic tentacles. The work uses facial recognition to react based on the surroundings. A built-in camera triggers a series of pre-defined interactions with the mechanical tentacles on the wearer’s shoulders. From a design perspective it’s a hi-tech, vision-oriented, on-body, aquatic-themed, robotic package!
Event Information: Unveiling “Miss Wiggles” at the Palm Beach Maker Faire
Date: December 14, 2019, 10AM-11AM
Location: South Florida Science Center and Aquarium
4801 Dreher Trail N, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
Website: https://palmbeach.makerfaire.com
Designer information: Anouk Wipprecht: www.anoukwipprecht.nl
Nextasy: www.nextasy.com
Event models courtesy of: www.agence-celine.com
With support of G-Star High School of the Arts: www.gstarschool.org
About Anouk Wipprecht
Dutch FashionTech designer Anouk Wipprecht creates designs ahead of her time, combining the latest in science and technology to make fashion an experience that transcends mere appearances. She wants her garments to facilitate and augment the interactions we have with ourselves and our surroundings. Her Spider Dress is a perfect example of this aesthetic, where sensors and moveable arms on the dress help to create a more defined boundary of personal space while employing a fierce style. Her signature is often explored through a futuristic, and architectural way in where the technology is curating a certain kind of expression – with her ‘Smoke Dress’ for example: a sensor-based 3D printed dress that starts to exhale layers of smoke the more people are in the direct environment of the dress. Making her garments an ‘interface’ that the body communicates with in a non-verbal matter.
About Cirque Du Soleil Entertainment Group
About Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group:Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group is a world leader in live entertainment. On top of producing world-renowned circus arts shows, the Canadian organization brings its creative approach to a large variety of entertainment forms such as multimedia productions, immersive experiences, theme parks and special events. It currently has 4,500 employees from nearly 70 countries. Going beyond its various creations, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group aims to make a positive impact on people, communities and the planet with its most important tools: creativity and art. For more information about Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, please visit www.CDSentertainmentgroup.com