Transformable Garments – What are the Possibilities?

Let’s take a closer look at Transformable Garments, also known as Transformable Fashions. This concept is at the heart and soul of what g.moda intends to market in the near future, but we believe that interest in transformable garments can only grow. Currently, transformable garments come in several flavors, almost completely low tech. Here is a short list of existing garments and/or fashions that fit within the “transformables” label :

A) Low tech transformables

1) Reversible garments : Reversible garments have been around for hundreds of years. The basic idea is that the inner surface of the garment is as finished as is the outer surface, but with a different design or pattern or use of color in fabric choice, so that the garment will usually have a dramatically different appearance whether it is worn rightside out or wrongside out. Ensuring reversible requires careful design and not all designs lend themselves to this process – in general, garments must be composed of a single layer to permit reversibility.

2) Folding/tying transformations : A second type of transformable garment that has been around for millenia is the garment that can be folded and/or tied in different ways. The Indian Sari is a perfect example of such a garment – it is simply a long rectangle of cloth, usually silk, that may be folded and tied in many different ways. A Hawaiian pareo is another example of a similar multi-form garment. The “Oh My God” or OMG garment by designer Ximena Valero that was featured on the web a year or so ago is an example of this type of garment (I counted over 60 variations on the way the garment could be folded and tied as shown in the promotional video clip). A company with a similar approach to transformable fashion is Jolier – their garments are marketed not only as multi-function but also as size-independent. Another recent example of a transformable of this type is the cotton top made by Ann Demeulemeester. The Indian dhoti is likewise a garment that can be transformed by being folded in different ways. An unusual variation in this idea of a transformable fashion is provided by the collection of Japanese artist Hiroaki Ohya, Ohya created a series of books that, when unfolded, were seen to be garments! However, this collection was more an artistic endeavor than a fashion design meant to be reproduced.

3) Snaps and buttons : The use of snaps and buttons to allow for multiple use of garments has also been around for a long time. One contemporary designer who uses snaps and hooks as well as zippers to create transformable designs is Masaaki Sato.

4) Strings and elastics : The conversion of a skirt into a top has long been possible if the skirt uses an elastic or drawstring at the waist. A recent example includes the efforts of the ethical fashion group The New Jocks – this group focuses on fair trade practices, but in addition their collections include garments that convert a fold-down belt made from stretch fabric into a tube top, and a drawstring skirt that converts to a top by unsnapping fabric at the sides to form armholes.

5) Zipped transformations : A certain number of garments with zipped transformations have been showcased over recent years, of which the most commercialized variant are the pants that can be converted into shorts by unzipping the pant legs. Some designers have incorporated zipped sections that can permit certain forms of transformation – a good example is the American architect and fashion designer Wen Guo, who uses zippers in the lower part of a mid-length dress to add or remove flare in a contrasting color from the base color used in the design. In our opinion, zippers are one of the most underused technological innovations of the twentieth century – this despite the high usage of zippers throughout particular types of clothes such as jackets. The problem is that zippers have been almost exclusively used to replace buttons or other fasteners in standard locations on garments (such as at front center or the top of pockets) rather than to explore additional locations and ways of using zippers. This has begun to change in recent years, but the use of zippers for the most part is still highly conventional. Counter examples exist however – one has only to think of the unusual transformable garments developed by designer Rad Hourani.

6) Detachable sections or garment elements : The ability to detach pieces of clothes, although this has been used for generations, has not always been used with great originality. One recent example of a “detachable fashion” is promoted by the company Ch-armz – the idea of wearing sleeves independently of the garment itself. Although not strictly transformative in the same sense as other examples given here, the idea of working with detached sleeves is both original and supports greater flexibility in how clothes are worn.

B) High tech transformables

Before enumerating high tech possibilities, it is important to distinguish between garments that are designed to be variable without necessarily being transformative, and those that support true transformation. Hence, for example, garments that switch between different patterns of light probably should not be classed as transformative, since the transformation from one pattern to another does not change the essential function of the garment. By transformative, therefore, we mean garments whose functionality changes. As with low tech approaches, several possibilities exist.

1) One type of high tech garment that is beginning to appear commercially uses what are called thermochromic inks. These garments change color with rising temperature, or when an electric current is passed through them (this causes the fabric temperature to rise). This technology lends itself to tee-shirt-dom. One example of its use on T-shirts is provided by the company Webelow Wear, which is marketing such a T-shirt as part of its Green Wearables line. Although other garments have been constructed using these inks, few examples are yet available commercially. However, several possible applications are under development, including the creation of sportswear that uses thermochromic inks to track movement effort. A recent example of a designer working with this technology is the Spring/Summer 2011 Amy Winters collection. Ms. Winters works with photochromic inks as well as thermochromic inks, and also one set of designs uses sound sensors to generate lightning storms on the garment.

2) Coupling sensors to displays : While I indicated earlier that the simple ability to display changing patterns of light on a garment is not necessarily transformative, when the display technology is linked to sensor technology, the combination often involves a shift in function. A wide variety of applications are being explored for this combination of sensors and displays, including but not limited to – tracking and displaying effort and/or energy expenditure, heartrate and blood pressure, skin conductance (linked to emotional state), breathing ability or effectiveness, posture awareness, enhanced awareness of environmental conditions, and so on. Displays involved may involve LEDs or thermochromic inks, but could also include sound production, tactile clues or any other means of conveying information.

3) Garments that communicate : Garments may communicate with other garments, with the ambient environment, or with people. Garments that change communicating audience are transformational in the sense we have described.

4) Garments that provide some physical impetus or force in response to some sensed phenomena : Like garments that display or communicate sensed information, garments may also exercise some form of action or force as a result of sensed information. Garments that change shape may do this already. Another possibility is garments that change stiffness and hence which can be used to update or generate awareness of posture.

Are other forms of transformation than those listed possible? Almost certainly – the list provided is by no means exhaustive, but rather representative of what is available at the current time, or of known work going on in laboratories for the higher tech possibilities.

Furthermore, it is clear that the arrival of new fashion technologies over the next few years may lead to the need to redefine what we mean by a garment that transforms. Today, these categories are fairly straight-forward, but with the introduction of new technologies currently under development, the lines will blur between what is conserved and what is changing in the functionality of garments, and most of our garments will likely become multi-function.

However, as the discussion on low-tech transformable garments should make clear, there is still a wealth of possibility for innovating in transformable fashions that serve multiple purposes without even needing to resort to new technologies.