wearable technology Archives

NYC Museum Shows 2023

The Smart List is a monthly list of multi-media recommendations on everything design, curated by Interwoven Design. As a group of aesthetically obsessed designers, there are a lot of beautiful products, objects and events we love and enjoy. These recommendations make our daily lives special and inviting and we want to share them with you. This issue is guide to Museum Shows in New York City in 2023!

1. Jumana Manna: Break, Take, Erase, Tally

Jumana Manna is currently being featured in the first major exhibition in the United States until April 17, 2023 at MoMA PS1. The works span from two films, Wild Relatives (2018) and Foragers (2022) to sculptures that explore “ the paradoxical effects of preservation practices in agriculture, science, and the law.” (MoMA) Jumana Manna is a multi-disclinary designer that communicates a way of life that includes difficult times in connection with the environment. Her work challenges and asks questions about what is the possible future based on our current, self induced predicament.

Via MoMA PS1

2. Thierry Mugler: Couturissime

Thierry Mugler, the French designer was a daring, unorthodox visionary that innovated through techniques and rigid materials including, glass plastic, vinyl and metals. Also the creator of the famous perfumes, Thierry Mugler, experimented with provocative collections that spanned fashion shows in carefully designed environments. Thierry Mugler: Couturissime is on display at the Brooklyn Museum until May 7, 2023. Mugler’s work continues to influence and while his timeless classic gowns have been worn by some of the biggest celebrities.

via Brooklyn Museum

3. Every Ocean Hughes: Alive Side

Every Ocean Hughes, formerly known as Emily Roysdon connects interests of transitions, thresholds, relationships, memory and queer life. The exhibition at the Whitney Museum is available until April 2, 2023. The presentation is four parts that includes performances and videos that use a demeanor to tell stories touching on communities, cultures as well as a mythical story, River (2023).

vie Whitney Museum

4. Guillermo del Toro: Crafting Pinocchio

Following Carlo Collodi’s 1883 children’s novel, Giullermo del Toro reimagined Pinocchio into a feature film that focused on the original stop-motion animation. Crafting Pinocchio, was the onset set view point of the creation by an international team of designers, craftspeople and animation artists that help bring a universal perspective to the film. The exhibition is available at the MoMa until April 2, 2023.

via MoMA

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What is Design Thinking?

In our AMA (Ask Me Anything) series, industrial designer Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman answers questions about design and process from Instagram and LinkedIn. Rebeccah is the founder of Interwoven Design Group, a design consultancy that specializes in soft goods design and wearable technology. She has over 25 years of corporate design experience and has held positions as Design Director for Fila, Champion and Nike. She is the author of Smart Textiles for Designers: Inventing the Future of Fabrics, and speaks internationally on design, innovation and the future. In this issue she answers the question, what is Design Thinking?

Watch the vide or read the transcript below for Rebeccah’s explanation for what is design thinking.

What is Design Thinking?

You have probably been hearing the term “design thinking” and maybe even wondering exactly what it means. Its a sexy phase – and one that a lot of people and companies are using. But is it thinking like a design or is it something more.

Basically, Design Thinking is a process that is very similar to the design process. It’s approaching a problem as a designer would. It’s used to solve problems by prioritizing the user’s or the customer’s needs. It relies on observing, with empathy, how people interact with their environments, with the objects and tools they use, and with each other. From these observations, you gain insights and then work in an iterative hands-on approach to create innovative solutions.

The 4 stages of a Design Thinking process are clarify, ideate, develop and implement. Very much like a traditional design process. The observation part is critical to understanding the problem and identifying the opportunity for innovation. Here at Interwoven we specialize in wearable technology and soft goods. If you’re curious about what our work looks like, get in touch. You can follow us on our website or on our Instagram @interwoven_design.

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Design News N. 034

Design News is your tiny dose of design, technology and other important news, curated monthly by Interwoven Design. In this issue we take a dive into Yin Gao’s pulsating robotic garments, Virgil Abloh’s Royal College of Art Scholarship, Goldwin and Synflux’s Algorithmic system for zero fashion waste, and LG’s Stretchable Display.

Photos by Maude Arsenault, Courtesy of Studio Ying Gao

Ying Gao’s pulsating robotic garments portray virtual clothing

Ying Gao, the Montreal-based fashion designer, has recently released two garments that are inspired by the metaverse and NFT’s. The pieces are made of glass, precious metals, and silicone that motions in a twisting and pulsating pattern to create a visual effect for the virtual clothing. Specially designed woven, hand-screened and consolidated materials were used to create the polymorphic effect. This helps portray the flower-like volume, transparency and reflectivity. The title, 2 5 2 6, refers to the amount of hours the garments took to bring to life “from the first line drawn to the last stitch sewn.” Ying Gao continues on the forefront of the virtual clothing realm by pushing the boundaries of form and function through the perceptions of the digital world.

via Design Boom

Virgil Abloh’s RCA Scholarship

The Royal College of Art recently announced a full tuition scholarship that honors the late designer, Virgil Abloh, who passed away last year from cancer. The scholarship was founded to help underrepresented communities in the design industry by giving this scholarship to “an extraordinarily talented, but financially restricted, Black British student.” Virgil and the Royal College of Art had formed a relationship through creative collaboration and education while Virgil was an honorary visiting professor at RCA. The annual scholarship was established with the support of Shannon Abloh, Virgil’s wife, and will be given to a postgraduate student at the RCA School of Design.

via Dezeen

Algorithmic system for zero fashion waste

Goldwin, a Japanese sportswear manufacturer and Synflux, a speculative fashion laboratory have been working on a collaboration that minimizes textile waste during the production process. ‘SYN-GRID’ uses Synflux’s proprietary technology combining machine learning and 3D technology. This production method allows brands to minimize waste while keeping the garments aesthetics, functionality and comfort. Product lines from NEUTRALWORKS and The North Face will be released this year using the Algorithmic Couture®. This environmentally focused collaboration aims to improve the fashion industry by helping future generations with sustainability in garment production.

via Design Boom

LG’s Stretchable Display Prototype

LG, unveiled the “world’s first 12-inch high-resolution Stretchable Display equipped with an outstanding free-form technology that enables it to be extended, folded, and twisted without distortion or damage.” The full-color RGB display has a resolution of 100 ppi and is the industry’s first display to achieve 20% stretchability. This innovation will allow adaptability to curved surfaces on the body, furniture or vehicles. LG’s Stretchable Display has the capabilities to enhance the future of fashion, wearable technology, mobility and gaming.

via LG

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What is the difference between a mockup and a prototype?

Watch the vide or read the transcript below for Rebeccah’s explanation for what is the difference between a mockup and a prototype.

What is the difference between a mockup and a prototype?

A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT prototype effectively gets the point across, quickly. Here at Interwoven, we make fast 3D sketches of mock-ups to determine function, scale, user interaction and many other things – these works-like prototypes focus on how it works. At the same time we often work on Looks-like prototypes that focus on the appearance of the product. As we refine the design, the mock-ups increase in fidelity until we are making functional and appearance models. The final prototype combines the best of both of these into a fully functional prototype.

We will start working in paper, chipboard, EVA foam, and muslin then as the design evolves we will start to move into CAD for the hard parts and patternmaking for the textiles. We can cut, bend, perforate, hem, stitch and tailor anything relating to fabrics and textiles.

The final prototype brings together the Look-like aesthetic model and the functional Works-like model into a single streamlined prototype that is both aesthetically pleasing and fully functional.… And here at Interwoven we specialize in wearable technology and soft goods. If you’re curious about what our work looks like, get in touch. You can follow us on our website or on our Instagram @interwoven_design.

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How do we find the right materials for a design?

Watch the vide or read the transcript below for Rebeccah’s explanation for how do we find the right materials for a design.

How do we find the the right materials for a design?

Traditional industrial and product designers understand the importance of selecting the right materials, such as plastics, resins, metals, foams and other rigid and semi-rigid materials for functionality, aesthetics, and ease of manufacturing. As soft goods designers we also take into consideration the textiles for each project. It’s when combining rigid and semi-rigid materials with textiles to consider how they interact with each other.

We have discovered that not many industrial designers or project managers realize that textiles have more variables to consider than most materials. Variables such as stretch, weave, stitch structure, chemistry, finishes, adhesives, melting points, dyes, elongation, recovery, pilling, crocking, yarn gauge, tensile strength, specialized equipment, yarn structure (and more!) that can affect the performance of a finished good. As textile experts we can help select the best materials for each project.… And here at Interwoven we specialize in wearable technology and soft goods. If you’re curious about what our work looks like, get in touch. You can follow us on our website or on our Instagram @interwoven_design.