Soft light flutters down the model鈥檚 dress, one wave after another. They repeat in a pattern, but the waves don鈥檛 match music or movement. No, the dress鈥檚 lights are flowing in rhythm to the model鈥檚 heartbeat. This is the Presence of Heart dress.
Tech-inspired fashion designer and author Alison Lewis created Presence of Heart as a way to showcase her ideas for the fashion industry. The dress shows everyone the wearer鈥檚 heart beat in real time. Made of 28 LED lights, the HeartBeat dress made its debut at 2012鈥檚 SXSW show in Austin, Texas.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 more vulnerable than showing your heart when you鈥檙e talking on stage?鈥� says Ms. Lewis. 鈥淚t shows intimacy, [clothing is] about us as human beings."
The LED-lit dress gives off a soft glow. And while it may appear to be one whole piece, the dress is actually split into two parts. The outside fabric covers a slip that holds the lights in place and monitors the heart.
鈥淚 want to play with what we choose to share, and clothing is the ideal vehicle,鈥� she says.
Lewis says that she designed her company, , to embody her own 鈥減ersonal quirkiness.鈥� The start-up and this illuminating dress aim to wed fashion and technology in a subtle way.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not Vegas lights. It鈥檚 designed to be soft. The more subtle the light, the better it is,鈥� says Lewis. 鈥淲e avoid anything that looks like kids鈥� blink shoes. I鈥檓 tired of [wearable] technology looking cheap.鈥�
While the dress was a fun experiment for Lewis, Agent of Presence鈥檚 first product will be an illuminated purse called Geometry Darling. Geometry Darling can be worn as a normal clutch or lit up, with the underlying panels shimmering with an intricate design and lighting.
There will be 200 Geometry Darlings made to sell to the public, for $1,200 each.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing out there like this," she says. "If girls are going to go enter the technology field, we should be putting our mark out there.鈥�
Lewis says that those who cannot afford their own Geometry Darling can still enjoy wearable technology. Her book, "Switch Craft," instructs readers on how to make your own wearable-tech items.
鈥� 'Switch Craft' is about independence and individuality with fashionable form and function," says Lewis's blog, . "It鈥檚 about technology鈥檚 role in empowering women to represent their ideals however they choose."
Lewis says that the book is her way of sharing her ideas and excitement with the world. 鈥淲hen you really love something," she says, "you want to share it."
For more tech news, follow Aimee on Twitter, @aimee_ortiz
