Fashion Hack Day Berlin happened April 29th-May 1st and it looks like it was the most spectacular fashion hackathon ever. They recently posted the winning teams and their amazing wearables, so let’s get to it! First prize was Knowledge is Power, a garment which makes sexual harassment data visible, using the subway of Mexico City as an example. Created by Nayeli Vega, Sophie Kellner and Sarah Hermanutz, it illuminates often under-reported incidents and brings the wearer a sense of power. It’s interesting to look at the data which inspired this project, which clearly shows how unsafe public transportation can be for women. Electronics include an Arduino & LEDs. Other special touches include laser cut fabric, as well as knitted pieces by Victoria Pawlik from @ETIBerlin mentoring at Fahion Hackdays and teacher at FabLab Berlin. It’s a great example of data driven art.
There are multiple winners for the second prize category, starting with this fun piece–Stethosuit. It’s a mashup of stethoscopes and space suit, bringing together the sounds of the body (yes, those weird gurgles), resembling sounds of space. According to the creators, “The bodice serves as a sonic portal joining the inner universe of our bodies to the outer universe of the stars.” I’m especially fond of the egg shaped lasercut pieces, which were inspired by the head gear in 2001: A Space Odyssey. This is an imaginative collaboration by Laura Yona Zittrain and Rosa Weinberg.
Next up is the adorable Autee, which is well named. Autistic children often have a tough time reading people’s facial expressions, and this tee does a great job of illuminating various moods right near the wearer’s face. Interestingly there is work being done on this very topic with camera devices and facial recognition software. So, Autee is a nice exploration in wearable format, as well as an inexpensive solution.
Rounding out the last of the second prizes is this classy necklace, Smoon. Is it a smart moon? I’m not sure what the name implies, but it does have smart features as it vibrates and/or lights up to show incoming calls and text messages. Created by Mona Weber and Erhan Yilmaz, like Ringly, it appeals to women who prefer to have beautiful jewelry with a secondary purpose. I hope they take this piece to market! There’s more to see, so head over to Fashion Hack Day Berlin’s site for the rest of the winning projects. On the other hand, if you are done looking and ready to make something yourself, you should check out our learning guide on Getting Started with FLORA. It’s our popular microcontroller that will allow you to create all sorts of wearable art. Get up-to-speed now and enter Berlin’s Fashion Hack Day next year!
Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!