A few weeks ago Under Armour debuted their MagZip Jacket, (the line isn't available until 2014 so calm yo' tits ya'll) with its "revolutionary" magnetic zipper feature. I'll be honest, it's pretty cool. Right now, in the performance activewear industry, the focus has been fabrics - moisture wicking, antimicrobial... but there hasn't been a lot of "practical" innovations. Although this isn't a reinvention of the wheel I think it's a preview of what's to come. Adding or integrating technology into performance garments has been an on-going trend. Perhaps the magnetic zipper is the first example of how we can enhance the more mundane, overlooked aspects of garments.
Essentially MagZip is a strong magnet + a re-engineered zipper clasp which automatically guides the two ends of the zippers together which then allows you to zip up the jacket one handed. *MAGIC* I encourage you to read more articles on this for the comments alone, they are pretty highlarious but they also bring up interesting points; is it safe for people with pacemakers and more importantly, is UA going to share the knowledge...
Although the zipper is patented and licensed by Under Armour the idea actually came from engineer Scott Peters. Peters originally designed the zipper to help those who suffer from a lack of fine motor control and coordination dress themselves with more ease and worked through about 25 prototypes before getting it right. I hope it still gets put to its original purpose. Yes it's neat, and yes when its available for purchase it's going to sell out but I hope Under Armour shares the wealth. I don't know, it would be too bad if UA having the patent meant exclusivity to the activewear world - this could do a huge amount of good for who Peters had in mind.
Do I think this is going to be an explosive trend? No. Am I going to try it on and zip that thing up repeatedly, with one hand, like a boss? Yes.
This is kinda old news so bear with me, (I'm still getting used to this blogging-thing). A few weeks back we were doing trend research for Fall 2014 and few things caught me eye but one in particular was reflective-wear / details. It's nothing new but there are some cool things happening. I think when people hear "reflective" they think work wear vests and other, more industrial clothing but there are a few brands that are working towards making some pretty cool pieces. 3M is the reflective manufacturer of choice and it's pretty exciting to see it seeping into the fashion world.
Ice Cold is one brand to check out.
Founder and designer Michael Cherman started the brand with socks. They're actually kinda cool for socks. You're supposed to stretch them out and crack the 3M reflective dots before you use them... "that's how you know they're fresh". I like that idea, it's like glow sticks - little mini raves on your feet.
Apparently Cherman suffered one-too-many accidents on the busy streets of NYC which inspired him the develop the socks. They're geared for cyclists and runners and offer function with style. Since then they have expanded their product line to t-shirts, hats and collaborated with other brands, such as Wish, (check out their anorak).
Check them out here: http://www.icecoldny.com/
The more I read about this brand the more I'm crushing on them. I'm really digging what they do, especially their philosophy. I like to hear that a brand practices what it preaches and the team at ISAORA seems to do just that. I'll have to do a separate brand-feature post about them because there is way too much to say. The brand's focus is to bring aesthetics to high performance fabrics and make clothes for the urban consumer. Back in December 2012, (throwback...aanndd not really available for purchase) they debuted their reflective jacket and vest. The cool thing though is that they garment dyed the reflective fabric - which I, frankly, didn't think was possible. It's described as 3M-like Italian fabric so it must have some natural-fibers in it to be able to take the over-dye, not to mention it looks pretty freakin' cool. True to their word it delivers on its functionality.
Check them out here: http://www.isaora.com/
The piece-de-resistance though is brought to you by Stone Island. One of my all-time favorite menswear brands. For an established brand they never get too comfortable and are always putting out the coolest and innovative stuff. Science Bitch! Stone Island delivers consistently. Please make womenswear, thank you sincerely, Lazy Cat.
Their take on the reflective trend puts them in a different league. Back in 2010-ish they introduced the idea of "liquid reflective technology" which is a reflective solution made of thousands of glass microspheres. Each garment is individually sprayed with the solution and then baked dry, (the baking process is similar that used for car bodywork) which also happens to make the garment water and wind resistant. Each garment was individually treated. Then they really capitalized on the idea and rolled with it. It seems like every season they release a new piece using "liquid reflective technology".
In 2012 they released more jackets in different silhouettes. Then, THEN for their 30th anniversary they released their fully reflective KNIT jacket. Ok, lets break this down for impact. Prior, they were spraying and coating their garments which gave them this sort of spotty, imperfect look. Pff next! Let's just make the 'effing YARN reflective. So they took the same microsphere idea but instead of spraying the surface they created microsphere micro-tape and melted it to polyester yarns and then knitted the damn thing together. The actual jacket is simple and clean as it should be, letting the technology be the focus. It looks so cool and the debut video just seals the deal, (check it out below). You keep doing you SI.
Check them out here: http://www.stoneisland.com/
