Being stuck in a semi-lockdown for two years gives people plenty of time to work on wacky ideas, and Polish designer Iga Węglińska did just that. She had a doctoral thesis to work on and thought she would make tops that change color so that the wearer, and everyone looking at them, can see if they are stressed or anxious. How does it work? Well stay.
The main concept around which these tops are built is called sensory substitution. What it basically does is take sensory input and translate it into another sense. Think about how braille translates touch into vision so that people with disabilities can read text. Why do we need this on clothes, you ask? We do not! But just because we don’t need it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t.
The main idea of the collection is to make us focus more on our bodies and stress levels. The technical wizardry behind it basically has the top measuring things like heart rate, temperature, and galvanic skin response with a bunch of sensors. Those sensors then send a signal to some lights on your clothing that will basically show everyone that you’re stressed. One top even changes from black to translucent depending on your emotional state, which I doubt would help calm you down, but at least it’s technologically impressive.
The main reason why all this can work is that Węglińska was smart enough to use conductive threads to join the materials in the uppers. This also means that getting shocked is probably even less of a good idea when you’re wearing these clothes.
The hope is that these tops will help people become more aware of their stress levels by getting visual indicators that they are stressed. You know, in case elevated heartbeats and sweaty palms weren’t enough indicators for you. Where you would normally blush or get goosebumps, clothing will now extend that reaction and display it more openly.
That being said, there are some therapeutic arguments for this. Mindfulness also works around the concept of biofeedback, where external sensors will measure your body’s functions and indicate rapid changes in them, allowing you to better control your own emotions. I doubt having these clothes would serve the same purpose, but at least it’s something that’s never been done before and perfectly blends fashion and technology. And if it helps people to be more aware of their own emotions and those of others, who could say no?
English