let your body print your dress

Clothing is commonly regarded as means of cultural communication, self-expression and the social construction of identity. This research project explores different possibilities to develop clothing as interactive tools through ways of using dynamic print in the design and construction of garments. The significance of this for fashion is therefore to expand and develop clothing as a vocabulary for social expression and identity construction. The research project was conducted by experimenting with a series of random and controlled interactive garments produced by lecuo dye-based thermochromic inks with activation temperature 31°C. The result of this research project opens up new design possibilities for fashion designers considering expressive interactive relationships between wearer and garments. In conclusion the series of experiments with the construction of thermochromic printed garments demonstrates new possibilities in garment design for a performative relationship between body, dress and the social space through the increased awareness of one’s own body and its dynamic expression in social situations.Sponsorship:smart textile design lab, initiative in the Vinnova Vinnväxt program