What better place one can imagine to show off fashion and technology then the annual technology center of the universe, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 bringing the next generation of wearable technology on the FashionWare runway.

This evening event will be hosted by high-tech fashion designer and author of Fashion Geek, Diana Eng sending models wearing the latest digital fashions and accessories down the runway.

“FashionWare will look at how fashion designers use technology to not only invent a new aesthetic but change the way we interact with our clothing,” said Eng who is designing a techno-fashion collection for this show.

FashionWare attendees can expect to see a variety of innovation such as programmable dresses, transforming garments, bio-responsive accessories and cell phone controlled clothing.

A sneak peek of Diana Eng’s design sketches can be found in the slide-show below.

The FashionWare runway show is part of the second annual MommyTech Summit, one of six one-day conferences produced by Living in Digital Times to analyze how technology affects consumers from children and college students to parents and senior citizens.

The FashionWare runway show will be held at the Fashion Show Mall located at 3200 Las Vegas Blvd South on Friday, Jan. 7 at 6 pm.

[source: Press release via Diana Eng]

Hussein Chalayan surprised again during the Paris Fashion week the audience with ‘Technology meets high Fashion’ by showing a Sparkling Crystal Dress.

To underline his ability and willingness to challenge traditional aspects of fashion, Chalayan bended the rules a bit by deciding to show his collection in the from of a short movie rather then with models on the runway.

If you are interested to watch the complete show from Chalayan on video, showstudio.com has it for your viewing pleasure.

Here on talk2myShirt we are most interested in our coverage on the Sparkling Crystal Dress Chalayan presented at the end of his ’08 S/S collection in which he used again technology to create a new fashion dimension.

The Crystal Dress (my naming) is an evolution based on Chalayan’s Mechanical Dress and his LED Dress. It uses hundreds of servo motor driven tiny lasers diodes.

The laser diodes are integrated into the garments, illuminating the Swarovski crystals in the garments and extend so the dresses visually into space.

The effect is an explosion of laser beams and light effects the make the crystal look like living, flowing lava.

The technical wizard behind this Wearable Electronic high fashion piece is no one less than Moritz Waldemeyer who has worked with Chalayan before on the LED Dress.

The result of their cooperation is a stunning light/laser show radiated from the dress that changes continuously the light effects and reflections with the movement of the wearer of the dress.

Swarovskisparkles.tv has a video you must see to experience the magic effect of Chalayan’s creation.

Another movie available on Swarovskisparkles.tv is the ‘Making of’ the Crystal Dress. Watch Chalayan and Waldemeyer how they created this fashion artwork.

A fabulous concept Magician Chalayan and Wizard Waldemeyer pulled out of their heads and proved once more that technology and fashion can create a new dimension to our future clothing.

Much was written about the Mechanical Dress and the LED-Dress from Hussein Cahalayan but you ever wondered how it was made?

For my part, I wanted to know a little bit more about the background and looked underneath the two dresses.

It turns out that a young smart guy from Germany, Moritz Waldemeyer is the technical wizard behind the fabulous creations from fashion oracle Hussein Cahalayan.

Moritz moved to London to study business administration but discovered robotics during an internship at Bosch. He switched to mechatronics and landed a research and development job at Philips where he worked for 3 years. ‘We did some things that were considered pretty crazy at the time,’ he says. ‘Like a bra for female athletes embedded with sensors to monitor their heart rate.’

Not that crazy anymore but available by Numetrex for example.

Waldemeyer says: ‘Mechatronics is simply a combination of mechanics and electronics’. ‘It’s a relatively new discipline, but almost everything we use nowadays — a washing machine, the electric windows in a car — is automated in one way or another.’

This special knowledge got him together one day in 2006 with Hussein Cahalayan and ended up building those famous Wearable Electronic Fashion dresses.

As a demonstration of changing shapes in fashion, Chalayan wanted to end his show last year in Paris with six dresses and two hats that would transform themselves electromechanically on the models along the catwalk in real time.

Confronted with that challenge, most engineers might say, ‘Get lost,’ but Waldemeyer devised the control electronics for a complex set of micromotors with tiny pulleys and nearly invisible cables.

At the Spring/Summer 2007 fashion show, the concluding group of Chalayan dresses and hats in the promenade spectacularly changed shapes; and for the finale, the ultimate hat magically raised the costume below like a curtain on threads and absorbed it, leaving the model naked.

In the second collaboration with Cahalayan for the Autumn/Winter 2007/8 collection, designer-engineer Waldemeyer produced dresses with full video capability: each is covered with 15,000 individually controllable LEDs, meaning the surface of the dresses can display video imagery.

Below a collection of photos from Mortiz’s Website on how the LED-Dress looks from underneath:

Those two dresses will be remembered as the first great works towards a Wearable Electronic Haute Couture, created by two great visionaries: Hussein Cahalayan and Moritz Waldemeyer.

[infos from: NYTimes, Metropolismag, Dezeen]

Angel Chang is a innovative Fashion Designer who blends technology and fashion in the most advanced and beautiful way we have seen so far.

The way she thinks about fashion and technology is remarkable, head over to the write up we have posted back in January or to her site.

Hussein Cahalayan is doing a great job in experimenting with technology and fashion but Angel Chang is creating real world clothing that look like ‘out of this world’. Her Fall 2007 collection include great looking dresses with iPod controls. We like the way she integrates almost invisible those controls. This is what makes her creations outstanding compared to the more ‘traditional’ approach of the iPod Jackets we have seen so far.

Angel Chang is not ‘only’ using electronic functions for integration, another part of her collection has Thermochromic ink. This Thermochromic ink print pattern change their intensity/visiblity depending on the surrounding temperature. Those parts of the fabric that are closer to the skin are warmer and the print will ‘disappear’. Other parts that have less skin contact will stay clear visible.

We like love this playful use of innovative technologies in clothing in her creations. It is completely in line with Angel’s philosophy we appreciate so much:

What we need are experiments and those who are willing to experiment. We designers are too safe today — relying on the trends of the past rather than innovating for the future. – Angel Chang

Are illuminated clothing and fashion accessories the next trend? First there are the Fabric Switches in Jackets and accessories but Light Emitting Fabrics seem to be the second most desired object of Wearable Electronics. The GlowFur range created by designer David Lee is a class in itself.

You will either hate it or love it, there is no between. GlowFur apparel will be not the best attire for business meetings but it will spice up your adventurous clubbing nights.

The idea to light up as disco queen or king is not new. Who does not have some glittery elements on the hip and groovy club wear or weekend party gear? Glitter elements and reflecting ink printings are often used in such outfits.

The big advantage of GlowFur is: you do not rely on reflecting someone’s light with all the glitter stuff on your Top, you are the light itself – how exiting!

How does the magic work?
David Lee does not give much details about the glow is created but says the technology is complicated. It involves wiring and batteries. You turn the lighting on with a switch that hides in the lining or pocket and use batteries that need to be replaced after about eight to 10 hours of constant wear. The garments don’t heat up, and they won’t electrocute you. Cleaning? Throw Glow-Fur clothes into the washing machine and wash with Woolite on a gentle setting.

Enough tech-talk, see the GlowFur magic in action in the video below:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abNX4OZHWJE[/video]
GlowFur fashion apparels are made of faux fur with special internal lighting technology which is ‘Patent pending’. The GlowFur apparel line includes jackets, sweaters, vests, club wear and long coats for women and men. The long coats are the costliest for $975.

Head over to their online store and get dressed for your next clubbing night.