The folks from Japanese research collaboration Life BEANS yesterday displayed their nanotech fiber clothes at the Micromachine/ MEMS exhibition at Tokyo Big Sight. On display was a dress that incorporated nanotechnology which can be used to heat or cool the wearer, and ultimately allow the whole dress to become an electrical device itself.
BEANS or Bio Electomechanical Autonomous Nano Systems, is a collaboration project between a number of universities and science institutes throughout Japan and are the same team responsible for the glowing glucose tracking mouse ear. The technology on display yesterday incorporates a new fabrication process that allows more flexible layers of conductive cells within clothes. Woven into dresses or protective vests, for example, mean that the wearer can be cooled or heated depending on the temperature by activating the nanocells and also enable the transference of electronic data through the clothes themselves.
The nanotechnology in the clothes is capable of being utilized in a variety of ways, including turning the article of clothing into a mobile phone complete with GPS, recording data for sports and health care, or even ubiquitous data exchange by using the fabric as the circuit board itself. With the advancement in flexibility and the ability to weave the layers of conductive materials into fabrics, wearable technology could be integrated into normal everyday clothes.
Communication clothing is a growing area where, as we are increasingly seeing, fashion and electronics become closer combined together. As we rely on electronic data and portable devices more and more in our lives and jobs this type of advancement in technology will be pushing the boundaries of how we communicate with our devices in the future.
Traditionally, females in Japan tend to live with their parents until they get married as taking the step to living on their own is not a simple and cheap step to take. Step in the ladies from Lacine, a female support company based in Japan, who recently introduced an exciting new concept aimed at easing the transition between ladies living with their parents and finding their own domicile. The new “Trial Stay” program aims at fostering a female-oriented atmosphere and living space for their residents, through their new concept of a “salon” in the apartment complete with cooking classes, beauty school, and other female-directed workshops all combined under one roof, differentiating their home from service apartments.
For about US $200 to US $300, the company provides a fashionable apartment room for a short stay of 2 to 4 weeks, enough time for these ladies to decide whether or not living by themselves floats their boat, or if they should wait until their Prince Charming asks them to live with him in his castle. These women can live in a home decorated with beautiful ornaments and equipped with the latest eco-friendly “green” technology, such as an IH Cooking Heater. The room uses LED lighting and comes with an arrangement of furniture, which is cost effective in the sense that it saves them from buying their own.
Trial Stay’s main feature is its Salon, which acts as a living room where residents can get together and throw parties, as well as a place for daily events such as cooking lessons taught by professional chefs and beauty courses led by renown make-up artists. The Salon is designed by Panahome (Panasonic’s Home Improvement Department) and integrates the newest technology developed by Panasonic. Their Eco Money System allows them to implement their recently introduced concept, “Mieruka” (a play on with the words ‘develop’ and ’see’, which imply that users can see how much electricity/energy they are using as well as how much solar powered energy is being created by the solar panels attached to the apartment). Finally, the home even generously provides an electric bicycle for each of its residents, making the trip to the grocery store and back much less tiring and more convenient.
This Trial Stay proves to be a new and interesting concept that many women may find appealing. Not only do they get to live far away from their parents, they are able to learn how to become, what some Japanese men may say, a real woman, by learning how to cook and master the art of makeup.
Purikura, the photo booth printing trend popular among teenage girls for years, is a versatile beast. We’ve seen it morph into video versions, mascot and character-themed booths, lend itself to FMCG packaging, and even inspire whole digital camera products. Now Sega is opening Japan’s largest purikura facility, named the P+closet, which is remarkable not just for its size but also for its integration of fashion and apparel into the purikura experience, apparently the first of its kind. Opening on July 16, visitors can try on a range of clothes and see how they look in them through purikura photos. Essentially, the booths will now become social changing rooms with the “costumes” being real fashion from brands.
An exercise in very experiential tryvertising for the 13 brands involved, the clothes will become for the target female users another “cute” tool for making themselves look better (or just different). Initially there are some 26 types of items available for trying on (two “co-ordinating patterns” each), from brands like BEAMS, OLIVE des OLIVE and Pageboy. Significantly the opening event will see a dokusha model (”reader model” or a pseudo-amateur model) attend. Purikura is another way for girls to make themselves more beautiful and model-like while having fun with friends, and adding fashion elements both enhances the experience for the girls and provides a new marketing channel for brands.
For the uninitiated, in a nutshell Purikura allows you to take cute pictures with your friends in the booth, and then digitally customize and decorate the images with letters, slogans, motifs and all manner of cute extras before printing them out. The ability for this trend to evolve always surprises and impresses us. The first booths emerged in 1995 and a generation later are still very much around, especially where girls congregate. However, since 2002 booth numbers have been falling, so purikura has been making efforts to enhance its functions as technology and lifestyles/fashion have changed. Now you can send the images directly to your phones and SNS pages using infrared transmission, FeliCa readers and QR codes, or even use your iPhone camera to make purikura pictures when an actual booth is not around.
Of course, fashion and beauty has also evolved. Perhaps most notorious has been the Jewella Eye machine for its dekame (big eye) effects, tapping into the trend for local girls to want to make their eyes look larger. However, it would appear, nigh two decades after their genesis, the very recognizable purikura brand of cuteness itself is still holding strong the tides of change simply because it’s a real world, social activity.
Additionally JJ, a fashion magazine popular among the teenage girl market, is also hopping onto the boat at P+closet with Sega. A terminal will be available inside P+closet that offers JJ’s recommended clothes and accessories, connecting visitors to the magazine’s e-commerce site so that they can purchase anything that catches their eye (including, presumably, the items they try on for the purikura photos). It would be exciting to see other brands catch onto this trend, and perhaps in the near future, purikura takers would be able see themselves carrying a Louis Vuitton handbag or even try on Swarovski x House of Hello Kitty accessories.
Starting today Japan’s iconic Hello Kitty character has been decked out in crystal and put on display in its own “House of Hello Kitty” in the upmarket Tokyo district of Omotesando. Having collaborated before the “Swarovski Hello Kitty Collection” event features everything from crystal encrusted Hello Kitty accessories to the pride of place center piece, an exclusive, limited edition figure adorned with 20,000 crystals and costing a cool ¥1.2 million ($14,800).
Hello Kitty fans can wander around the pink palace that is the House of Hello Kitty taking in the vast array of accessories on display from ear rings to bracelets and keychains and even a limited edition $100,000 clutch bag an Elle x Swarovski x Hello Kitty collaboration. Arranged in their own unique, plush miniature rooms the displays drew cooing and exclamations of “kawaii” a plenty.
Not to miss a trick there is also a full Hello Kitty chandelier hanging over the collections of rooms that each house a different Hello Kitty surprise, and guarded by Phantom Of The Opera inspired costumed men and iconic red bow adorned girls, designed by Japanese costume artist Hibino Kozue.
Visitors can also play with some of the digital interactive displays that are dotted around the exhibition. Just inside the entrance is a particularly cool 3D holographic display that allows users to manipulate a floating Hello Kitty and various accessories found in the main area. Visitors use a sweeping motion to switch between different holograms, as well as enlarging it and raining crystals down on it through different hand gestures.
There was also a neat digital AR photo area which lets users virtually adorn themselves with red ribbons, ear rings and a whole host of other cute Hello Kitty merchandise. Users are then displayed a QR code which they can scan to download the end photo direct to their mobile phones. CScout Japan’s intern Ron was particularly pleased with the end result which now sits pride of place on his phone as his wallpaper!
It wouldn’t be Japan without a UFO catcher display also where visitors were queuing up to have the chance to grab a limited edition Hello Kitty doll featuring a special necklace.
Tying in digital publicity with the exhibition the homepage for the Swarovski X Hello Kitty collaboration also allows users to create their personal Hello Kitty collection avatar icon. By giving the app permission to access their Facebook, their profile picture is given a unique Hello Kitty frame designed specifically for this event. Users are then allowed to replace their current profile picture with the customized one made by the app.
The organizers of the event have also incorporated an fun RFID tag “treasure hunt” style event around the streets of the area the exhibition is being held, utilizing the ubiquitous Japanese mobile phone technology. At the entrance of the building housing the exhibits, sit two life size Hello Kitty art objects. Pictured below, the left piece was designed by Rikako Nagashima, a popular art director in Japan, and the right by Azuma Makoto, a well respected Japanese flower artist.
There are a total of 9 of the Hello Kitty art pieces (each created by one of the nine artists working in collaboration with this event, including Japanese supermodel Tominaga Ai) scattered around the heart of Omotesando. Embeded in the description tag of each object was a Felica chip, in which users could gather information about the piece as well as its creator, by scanning it with their mobile phones. Public who visit all 9 of the displays and scan all of the Felica IDs are in turn rewarded special prizes for their efforts.
This campaign lasts until the 10th, after which these art objects would be auctioned off by Yahoo! Charity Auction, with all of the money being donated to the Japanese Red Cross in aid of the 3/11 earthquake.
The exhibition will certainly appeal to the millions of Hello Kitty fans in Japan, including this particular one who although nothing to do with the exhibit itself arrived in her own customized Hello Kitty decked out car!
Swarovski Hello Kitty Collection is on display in Omotesando Hills from 6/30 through to 7/10.
Rainy season in Japan is all but over but doubtless there will still be some precipitation on the horizon. With weather and a change in seasons always providing a good excuse for ladies to get a spot of shopping in (if there ever was an excuse needed!) here in Tokyo, umbrellas have joined designer rain boots to become the latest fashion statements and a major part of whole outfits. The umbrella, as any other fashion accessory item, has come to represent female’s (and many new metrosexual men’s) personal style and status. Typically a cheap vinyl tool, bought for little and in haste at a convenience store — and then forgotten on a train or at a bar, or merely abandoned at the first sign of wear and tear. The new brand status symbol and easily recognizable accessory, joining the ranks of the infamous Louis Vuitton bag, is the brand name umbrella, something that every fashionista in Tokyo is likely to possess.
In the spirit of mottainai (”what a waste”) an eco trend that gripped Japan throughout 2008-2009 (and basically still going), a project called shibukasa sprung up to loan out umbrellas around central Tokyo to save people purchasing (and then discarding) a convenience store plastic umbrella. There is even a new Android app to locate your newest umbrella source across the Shibuya, Aoyama, Omotesando and Harajuku areas.
Going further in promoting longer and more ecological usage of this product, and turning it into a fashionable item, fashionwalker is coming up with new initiative starting from July 2011. “Dream Collaboration” between three popular Shibuya 109 female fashion brands-LIZ LISA, LDS and MAISON GILFY– and two local convenient stores – Family Mart and AM PM. The brands will offer stylish, costume-made design vinyl umbrellas for less than 1,000YEN(~12 US$) each. Retro-romantic LIZ LISA will offer a lovely lace motif umbrella. LDS (which stands for Love Drug Store) has more of hip, trendy style, and will offer a Pop hearts design for their umbrellas, and GILFY– an urban, cool style brand will launch cool paisley look umbrellas.
While there are various styles, colors and prices, which can range up to 26,000YEN(~320US$), what has always sold the most is the simple, transparent vinyl umbrella, priced for about 500YEN(~6US$), and found in the thousands of ubiquitous convenience stores around town. According to FashionSnap, Japan consumes the most umbrellas in the world, around 130 million in a year (or, basically one per person). For example in Shibuya ward alone in Tokyo, on a rainy day, more than 1,000 umbrellas are sold. One problem with vinyl umbrellas is that they are easily forgotten and unrecognizable in public places, and therefore considered disposable and not particularly “Eco-Friendly”. The so-called “Brand Vinyl Umbrellas” are one way to combat a culture of wastefulness towards rain protectors.
Jumping on the trend Circle K is also stocking original “brand umbrellas”, including models by Jill Stuart, though priced at a much higher 2,625 yen (or almost $37).
Now die-hard QWERTY enthusiasts never have to be away from the keys. This black leather billfold pledges allegiance to the keys with an embossed replica of a QWERTY keyboard wrapping around its exterior, while its interior rocks the phrase made famous by Jack Nicholson in The Shining: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It may be a touch less flamboyant than Samuel L. Jackson’s “Bad Mother *&%$#@” wallet, but it’s no less iconic. You can pick one up now at the source link for £34.99 (about $57) — unless, of course, you’re a Dvorak disciple.
Nokia has just unveiled a strange new beast of a smartphone. Internally, it’s your good old C7 — 3.5-inch AMOLED screen, 720p video recording, 8 megapixel camera, a pentaband radio, and Symbian as your zombie OS — but externally it’s taken on a lick of gold paint and a rear cover made of real leather. The price for a phone built quite so luxuriously is said to be upwards of €800 ($1,126) before taxes and subsidies and launch is expected in Q3 in select countries across Europe and Asia. Russia in particular is called out as a successful market for such “premium” phones, with Nokia’s Gabriel Speratti, General Manager for its operations in the country, explaining that:
“We have a large number of users who are looking for products with a build quality and superior materials that attest to their success and social standing. In some areas, possession of such premium products is the passport to being taken seriously.”
We have to agree, owning a phone like this will certainly have an effect on your social life, we’re just not so sure it’ll be a positive one.
After downloading a plugin for the program users align their heads with the area marked out and the glasses appear on your face. It is impressive to see the glasses stay on the face as you tilt and move your head giving an idea of how they look from any angle. It was also possible to move a fair distance away from the webcam and the glasses still “stayed on”. You can then switch between a whole range of colors and styles to see which suit your face best and purchase them directly online. As you can see from the video you can also have a fair amount of fun seeing how a certain type of glasses may look on any face like object, or even making a particular celebrity look a little less/more cool.
Although AR mirrors are nothing new, and we have blogged about Shiseido’s Digital Cosmetic Mirror before, the technology is becoming more prevalent in the online marketplace aimed at driving sales up. Used with webcams in your own home this kind of AR technology could be great to help out those living in particularly remote areas too, where a short trip to the shops is impossible. Bringing the “high street experience” into the comfort of your home would also help those who have disabilities and find it difficult getting around busy city centers.
It has been said that the Japanese don’t always wear their hearts on their sleeves and it can be particularly hard to judge their emotions. Step in the team from “neurowear” who have developed a product called “necomimi” which takes brain signals from our emotions and turns them into visible actions rendering them in the form of wiggling cat ears.
Advertising it as a new communication tool that “augments the human body and ability”, the website introduces the product as a fashion item and gadget that uses brainwaves and other biosensors. Designed obviously for the cutesy Japanese market with its cat ear shape (neco and mimi being the words for cat and ear) the ears mimic a cat’s ears as they wiggle and rise with the wearers emotional state, for example rising in anticipation of eating a delicious cookie, or drop down when relaxed.
The product, although at present a bit of a commercial gimmick, could actually be used for a number of other functions. For example, to help allow mentally disabled people show their feelings and easing frustrations within those who are verbally challenged. This kind of technology that doesn’t require too many intrusive components could certainly help in treatment by non verbally demonstrating wearers emotions, particularly in children. The same technology could also be used within other applications. Embedded in a hard hat for example the same brain signal monitor could be worn for workers involved in particularly demanding tasks requiring constant concentration. This kind of new technology aimed at health and wellbeing is a particularly growing market in Japan with its increasing greying society.
The product was on display at Omotesando Hills in the “Smile Bazar” where customers could try it on for themselves.
This is the first product from the “neurowear” company but they have already stated their intention to release more products soon, and if you watch the youtube video it does hint at a follow up with a strange bluetooth like device the passing man is wearing on his ear.
Those of us in Tokyo are not looking forward to the prospect of the typically humid local summer minus the air-conditioning. Energy-saving measures are so far averting any more rolling blackouts, but it’s going to be a different ballgame when the hot months come and offices and stores will have to restrict their usual methods of cooling everyone down.
UNQLO might just have the answer. Back in March 2010 it launched the Silky Dry and Sarafine range, the summer version of its bestselling Heat Tech series, designed to keep you cool and absorb moisture (=sweat). The “innerwear” collection for both men and women includes t-shirts, boxer briefs and leggings. Putting on more layers sounds like a bad idea in the summer but UNIQLO insists you won’t feel the extra clothes, since the fibers are so thin and comfortable.
The chain today opens in Ikebukuro station a special pop-up store dedicated to the range. For a limited two-month period commuters will be able to stock up on cooling clothes, and also knowing that UNIQLO is going to donate ¥100 to earthquake relief efforts with every sale.
The pop-up follows on from the brand’s success with Heat Tech stores in Tokyo last year, designed by UNIQLO collaborator favs Kashiwa Sato and Masamichi Katayama. The two shops in JR Shinjuku and Shinagawa hit their 200,000 items sales targets and, considering that Ikebukuro sees an average population of 55,000 commuters passing through daily, UNIQLO will surely replicate those achievements this sizzling summer.
Just in case you are too hot and dripping to extract the right coins from your wallet, you can even use your SUICA train pass e-money card to pay for your purchases at the pop-up store, much like other shops and kiosks located in Tokyo stations.
It’s going to be very interesting how consumers and retailers react to restrictions on electricity usage over the next few weeks. Already adverse effects of the looming energy shortfall include reports of sales for LED light bulbs jumping nearly three times and in particular convenience stores had, not surprisingly, a bumper month in March, an increase of 7.7% on last year.
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