God, we wish we were at SXSW. Along with talks from Lena Dunham and performances by Coldplay and 50 Cent, there was the world's first ever Twitter skirt. Yep. You know that expression ‘it’s written all over your face’? We'll, now it's all over your skirt – in 140 characters, no less. Say what?
A neatly named London-based company called CuteCircuit, which describes itself as, ‘Fashion meets LED lights,’ held a presentation at the music/tech/film festival (ie: Coachella with a brain), where a lovely model called Jacyln wore an ‘iMiniskirt’ – which featured floating tweets. So, is social media clothing really what we’re all going to be wearing come 2017? We gave Carmen Rodriguez at CuteCircuit a call to find out.
The Debrief: So, a Twitter skirt. Where did this all start?
**Carmen Rodriguez: **Founder Ryan Genz and and Francesca Rosella invented CuteCircuit in 2004, because they believed that the future is interactive clothing. We will have clothes that become our second skin and connect us to people and places. Imagine everything that comes in a box – such as watches, phones, cameras. In the future, they will disappear and everything will be wearable, using smart fabrics that will show emotions and self expression.
The DB: That sounds terrifying – and fascinating! What was the first item you created?
CR: Our first invention was The HugShirt, which was awarded one of the Best Inventions Of The Year in 2006. Embedded in the shirt, there are sensors that recreate the sensation of touch, warmth and emotion of a hug straight to the shirt of the distant loved one. You can send a ‘hug’ via your phone, like an SMS, to the wearer of the shirt whenever you feel like it!
Back then, the iPhone and the Android didn’t exist, so it was a pioneering piece of clothing. We recently launched our brand new design at New York Fashion Week. We hope it will be a big part of everyone’s wardrobes. Imagine feeling someone’s hug from a distance!
The DB: That's mildly creepy – but we do love hugs. So, when did you decide to tackle social media?**
**CC: We launched our ready-to-wear collection in 2010, as there were no other micro-technology-infused fashion collections out there. **That's when we first put Twitter onto clothing. We made a Twitter dress for Nicole Scherzinger to wear at The EE launch in November 2012. Everybody loved it!
The DB: You've also dressed Katy Perry. And now you've made a skirt that anyone can buy. So, what would you wear with this fabulous skirt?
CC: Yes, not everyone attends evening galas, so we developed our RTW Collection, with the iMiniskirt, which can be worn with the amazing Sparkle Jacket. Along with the tweets on the skirt, there is also a library of digital fabrics with themes like flowers and tigers, or a fabulous pink tartan that can be chosen from the smartphone via our CuteCircuit Q App. The app controls the whole CuteCircuit wardrobe via Bluetooth Low Energy, so it is very safe and easy to use!
The DB: LED clothing controlled by apps. The future is bright! But how much does an iMiniskirt cost? Are they super expensive?
CC: The ready to wear version in the recent collection is made out of silk with a leather trim, so it is high-end. It costs £3,750. We love to mix advanced technology with traditional textiles like silk: the effect is magical and surprising!
The DB: But why Twitter? Would you consider an Instagram skirt? Or… how about a Facebook sweater?
CC: For our previous collection we actually did a T-shirt that does it all: Instagram, Facebook, takes photos, tweets and plays music, too. This iMiniskirt is the refined version. It has all the best features that I really wanted to wear. Plus, Twitter and videos were essential to communicate with my friends.
The DB:** Given that you’re light-years ahead of everyone already here, dare we ask what’s next? **
CC: We are already working on our SS15 collection and we are very excited. We have traditionally made evening gowns and red-carpet favourites, so for the new season we will be creating some magical summer nights!
The DB: We’re not entirely sure what that means. But we’re sold, anyway.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.