A new brand called Abstract_ aims to give people ultra-customized looks based on their emotions. Danish designers Julie Helles Eriksen, Bjorn Karmann and Kristine Boesen have developed a way to use facial recognition technology to translate emotions into textile patterns, which customers can arrange onto various looks.
To create their design, users are prompted by the Abstract_ website to tell any story they want. While they’re typing, the site uses data from their web cam, along with the pace of their keystrokes and the words they choose, to create a one-of-a-kind emotion-based pattern. The patterns have a distinctly digital, disrupted feel to them, akin to glitch art. In the same vein, the creators are inspired by imperfection—their garment shapes reflect human mistakes and manufacturing errors like mismatched buttons and uneven zippers.
The company also aims to add more value to the clothes we wear. “We believe you keep and care more about your apparel when you feel connected to it,” says the Abstract_ team. In line with the rise of the circular economy, the brand hopes this personalization process will lead to “a more sustainable and conscious way of using materials and producing garments.”
This blend of art, technology, customization and sustainability speaks to a new movement of brands challenging themselves not just to excel in one area, but to expand their scope and rethink what’s possible.
Image source: Fast Company
