Illuminating heavy-knit dress

Designer Mary Huang created this heavy-knit dress that illuminates a soft white light. Conceptually, there's not much there, but the LEDs that Huang has integrated into the textile makes for a lovely glowing aesthetic. According to Dvice Huang says, "Integrating technology into a wearable piece can often be cumbersome, so in a successful piece, the design must outshine the technology." It should also have some sort of concept. Even so, the LEDs in this implementation are subtle enough that they would be intriguing in a place with dim light, such as a restaurant or lounge, and it makes a pleasing aesthetic.

For more light dresses, see my earlier post on Illuminating textile madness.

Illuminating textile madness

(image via Anke Loh)

There seems to be a lot of designers experimenting with fiber optics and Illuminating textiles. Anke Loh is one of my favorites. I love her unusual cuts, multi-layering technique, and her experimentation with technololgy. She had a show recently called Dressing Light, which showcased her explorations with fiber optics and Philip's lumalive technology.

Back in 2006, Suzanne Tick experimented with fiber optic-woven textiles. If you’ve ever worked with fiber optics, they can feel very plastic and stiff. She made her textiles appear to feel soft and flowy.

LumiGram created a line of fiber optic-infused garments called LumiTops aimed toward lounge and club-goers, on the market and available for purchase today.