Fiber Optics Creeping into Fashion

In the geek and clubbing community, there's a strange infatuation with anything that lights up. Back in April, I stopped by the Maker Faire, where I spoke to several geeky fashion designers on the scene. Some offered classes, such as how to create LED leather bracelets, throwies, and even pillows. LED lights are everywhere in the fashion world, including in scrolling belts, nose rings, badges, and even handbags. But I think a new type of light-emitting fashion is about to break onto the scene.

Thanks to technology that makes it possible to weave plastic optical fibers into synthetic fabrics, clubbers are now sporting handbags, hairclips, or mini-tops embedded with fiber optics. CrunchGear found a company in Paris that sells a variety of luminous items powered by rechargeable batteries. The most outrageous example of this fabric in use was back in 2002 when an Italian designer created a wedding dress with Luminex fabric that debuted at the Opto 2002 exhibition in Paris. Luminex is currently developing fabric that will someday be used in cars. Imagine the possibilities.  

Related:
LED Nose Ring Concept
Maker Faire Recap