Smart Textiles

Angel Chang, A/W 2007
Thermochromic ink on lining, fades with body heat

So this spring I was working with the up and coming fashion designer Angel Chang, and while the collaboration hasn't resulted in a finished project (price and production problems pretty much killed the piece), it was a good experience to work with a designer who's interested in similar techniques as I used in my graduate work at Central St Martins. Angel and I tried to bring my work with printed latex to her S/S 08 collection. She was interested in my ideas on clothes & prints that change over time. You can see the latex jackets I did at CSM here. My idea suited Angels' interests and we thought it would be a great new technique to add to her stable. It was my first time collaborating with another designer and I really enjoyed working with her. I also learned a lot about bringing one's own collection to market! (contracts, payment, costing, sourcing, buyers, whew!)

Angel is described on her website as someone who "explores bleeding-edge trends in fashion and technology." While we have slightly different interests in technology (narrative and time are more central to my work than the actual technology), I really admire her attempts to bring interactivity and new technology into the world of clothing and fashion. Angel's done a lot of work with thermochromic inks and 3-D print technology that I find fascinating. The other thing that I find admirable about Angel is that she is interested in collaboration and readily admits that the technology aspect is not her forte, but that she is determined to bring a wider audience to these techniques and experiences.

Below are some of the images from Angels first collection:


Angel Chang, S/S 2007
UV ink, print appears with sunlight


Angel Chang, S/S 2007
3-D print on hem