The LED Display mask has a thin LED matrix screen, and wearers can control what it shows– illustrations, custom text, and even voice inputs– by means of an app. The fabric is breathable above and below the screen, and the tech parts can be removed so the mask can be washed, or used as a regular mask. A battery and charging cable are included.
The trickiest part of developing clothing with LED lighting elements is where and how to hide the batteries, Klukas said. “There are a few tricks where you can conceal in a dress with a fluffy skirt, for example,” she stated, “but if you want to do something sleek and skintight its more of a difficulty.”
She includes that she thinks having masks anyone can use will help make them a declaration wardrobe product. “I think we are seeing the intro of mask-wearing as a brand-new type of expression. Other style designers are detecting this too, I think we will start to see like the Rolex version of masks.”
Consumers who are buying the masks are a completely different market from her usual customers, Klukas adds, and shes seen more male consumers than she expected, the majority of whom would not describe themselves as fashionistas.
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, designer Chelsea Klukas of Lumen Couture was preparing to make some basic cloth face masks for pals. The Centers for Illness Control and Avoidance advises using homemade face coverings to prevent the spread of the virus.
Lumen Couture has an entire line of tech-enabled style, including hoodies, dresses, and outfits, and Klukas shifted to masks when in-person events were being canceled and sales for other products were slumping. She chose to include the tech to make the face masks a little more fun.
The masks have actually been her best-selling product without a doubt, however Klukas says she cant wait to return to in-person shows, where people can touch and experience the LED-enhanced clothes personally. “Especially with a few of the more adventurous pieces, people will come up near to see the magic, and its tough to reveal that through video,” she stated. “The person wearing the style belongs to the story, and it does not communicate the story as well on a flat screen.”
The app uses a microphone input, and some wearers use it to show social distancing messages– like “stand back” or “6 feet”– that might be hard to hear someone state with their mouth covered.
She includes that she believes having masks anyone can use will help make them a declaration wardrobe item. The material is breathable above and below the screen, and the tech parts can be gotten rid of so the mask can be cleaned, or used as a routine mask. The masks have been her very popular item by far, however Klukas says she cant wait to get back to in-person programs, where individuals can touch and experience the LED-enhanced clothing in person.
” I had the elements around, so I create a quick DIY YouTube tutorial for how to make them,” Klukas stated in an interview with The Verge. “That actually exploded, to the point where people were asking me for a ready-to-wear mask.”
She added that she didnt desire to seem trying to make money from the pandemic, so Lumen Couture donated earnings from sales of the mask through June– about $5,000– to the World Health Organization COVID-19 relief fund.
