Communication Apparel

Technologically enhanced apparel that is augmenting non-verbal communication between strangers.

From an early age, I have been interested in fashion. With time, I developed a greater interest in observing what one's choice of clothing communicates, voluntarily or unconsciously, about that person. As I attempted to decrypt the deeper messages expressed in apparel, I began to notice the conscious decision-making process involved.

I believe that clothes tell a story about their wearer, serving as a sort of second skin that helps us communicate our emotions, state of mind, or thoughts. As onlookers, we can interpret strangers’ narratives by what they wear: their mood, style, beliefs, lifestyle, sense of belonging to a group or ideology. I began investigating other forms of non-verbal communication, particularly those used by animals. Their skin or fur, like our clothing, is used to convey messages to others – but their methods are much more advanced than ours in their responsivity. One little brain cell of mine self-destructed from excitement and caused a chain reaction of ideas that inspired me: I decided to re-integrate animal behavior into human clothing.

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Communication Apparel is an exploration of the language of clothes, with an emphasis on social dynamics. By incorporating the non-verbal communication habits of animals into clothing, I proposed to enhance this capacity for expressivity. Using responsive technology, I was able to create a new visual language in human apparel, calling upon the dynamism of animal behaviors in response to danger, aggression, pleasure, and other feelings. The project acts as a catalyst to encourage greater awareness of the ways we communicate with strangers through our external appearances. It serves as a social probe to awaken curiosity towards our spiritual relation to what we choose to wear.

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I implemented two pieces from a collection of twelve concepts, each inspired by a different animal emotion and behavior. The first is a dress inspired by the frilled lizard, whose frilled collar raises in moments of aggression and fear, as an attempt to make itself look large enough intimidate an opponent. The second is a cape inspired by the octopus, which changes colors according to various emotions and strategies. When in a state of aggression or defense, some types of octopuses can turn red. This ingenious pigment change also offers a camouflage mode, like that of the chameleon. I translated each of these expressive changes into an individual item of clothing, using technology to link the physical reactions of the cloth with the behavioral manifestation of similar human emotions. In simulating the frilled lizard, I created a dress whose collar raises when the wearer crosses her arms – a sign of being uncomfortable or defensive. I also developed an octopus cape, which responds to feelings of anxiety by offering the wearer a comfort zone in the fabric that they can hold onto when scared – similar to the way a child might twist the end of her shirt or skirt when nervous. A soft switch that I fabricated myself and placed in an easy-access spot on the cape triggers the reaction of color change. In 2-3 seconds, the black cape is covered with a metallic, thorn-like pattern.

The project was exhibited at the Chelsea Art Gallery for two weeks, and the rest of the collection remains a work in progress, which I definitely intend to continue building. For more information on the project or supporting research, feel free to contact me at alis.cambol@frogdesign.com, I’d be happy to answer any questions!