In a crowded Waag building, our workshop Beta Textiles, fabric and code took place on Friday 29th June, 2012. Fashion designers, architects, interaction designers, programmers and textile makers came together to find interesting combinations of fabric and technology. Thus were six mannikins dressed with creations like a self-shortening dress, a ‘pretty fly for a WiFi’- music waistcoat, or a garment that keeps you warm when walking around outside.
At the start of the workshop the participants could choose from several crash courses in dressmaking, textile making and working with lilipad arduinos. After an hour the groups came together to split up in teams with in each group a specialist in the field of electronics, fashion and textiles. For this day a specially produced fabric was used, in which electronics can easily be integrated. Aim was to get six prototypes in one day.
This workshop was organized within the larger framework of the CRISP Smart Textile Services project. A consortium of several parties, consisting of Waag, TU/e, Design Academy, V2, hatter & hare, SAXION and the Textile museum are working together at the development of new uses of technology in fabrics.
