Adobe Primrose: Stunning animated dress with interactive patterns showcased at NYC Fashion Week
Last year, at its annual MAX Sneaks event, Adobe showcased Project Primrose, a concept for a dress that could be programmed to dynamically change its pattern. Now, months later, it has collaborated with fashion designer Christian Cowan to bring that concept to life on the ramp at his 2024 Fall/Winter NYC Fashion Week runway show. The result is a stunning display somewhat reminiscent of Katniss Everdeen’s transforming gowns in The Hunger Games – minus the flames, of course.
The Adobe x Christian Cowan Dress is made up of 1,264 individual laser-cut polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) ‘petals’. Commonly used in smart window applications, reflective-backed PDLC is an electroactive material that can change the amount of light diffused by it several times a second. By creating an array of these Primrose petals, the dress can be programmed to switch its pattern instantly, or display beautiful flowing animations in shades of silvery white and grey.
Naturally, putting together the 1,264 pieces was quite the challenge, given that each one must be underlaid with a flexible printed circuit board mapped to the larger array. This is where Adobe’s product suite came in handy: Adobe Illustrator was used to map out the flexible PCBs and sketch the patterns, while the captivating motion graphics on display were created with Adobe After Effects.
As Cowan said, “The true technological craftsmanship that has gone into this piece is mind boggling. And the simplicity you are left with is so seamless, you’d never know the layers upon layers of boning, satin, cable work, mother boards, transmitters and polymers scales that are all at play.”
Project Primrose is the brainchild of Christine Dierk, an Adobe research scientist. While an electronically animated dress seems like an unusual direction for Adobe, that is what the company’s MAX Sneaks event (where Primrose was first revealed) is all about – showcasing innovative technologies and concepts from within the company which may or may not make it into its upcoming products. Adobe claims that with Project Primrose, “designers are empowered to dream bigger, envisioning garments that evolve and interact with their environment” and that it “raises the bar on the potential for sustainability and customisation in fashion”.
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