Cute Circuit creates interactive colour-changing graphene dress

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jan 26, 2017

London-based wearable tech fashion company Cute Circuit has worked together with shopping centre owner Intu and the National Graphene Institute at the University of Manchester to develop an innovative dress design that changes colour according to the wearer’s mood.

The dress is made from graphene, a Nobel Prize winning material that is lighter than paper but stronger than steel. Discovered in Manchester in 2004, the material has highly conductive properties, which are used to illuminate the dress in different ways depending on the wearer’s breathing rate.

Fast and slow breathing prompt the interactive dress to change from purple tones to turquoise and green.

The designers hope the same technology could eventually be used to invent one garment that can be programmed to showcase any colour hue or design.

Technology and fashion have come together to create what is the world’s most high-tech dress and could become the blueprint for what our millions of customers will be wearing in the future,” said Richard Paxon, general manager of Intu Trafford Centre.

The Intu little black graphene dress was unveiled on Wednesday at the Manchester shopping centre and will be also showcased at the Graphene Institute.

“Graphene has never been used in the fashion industry and being the first to use it was a real honour, allowing us to have a lot of fun creating the stunning intu little back graphene dress and showcasing graphene’s amazing properties,” commented Cute Circuit chief creative director Francesca Rosella.

Together with CEO Ryan Genz, Rosella has created some of the industry’s most innovative smart and interactive garments, including the LED gown worn by Katy Perry to the Met Gala in 2010.