Light the New Fabric?

(Designer-Mortiz Waldemeyer)

The use of LED lights in garment construction has become a phenomenon amongst established and up and coming fashion designers.  The fashion industry sees designers integrating light technology to produce the most exclusive apparel that will literally light you up and ensure all eyes are on you. Everyone’s exploring this innovative form of fashion design, using light as the new fabric from Valerie Lamontagne to the pioneers of LED technology Waldemeyer and Cutecircuit.  So, welcome to the new era of style; light up fabric.

Talented designers are constantly producing ground breaking and stylish clothes; students at Maryland College have taken on garment construction projects using LED lights as part of the overall design aesthetics to produce a wedding dress with heat sensors. 

LED technology has developed into wearable technology so much so that we are now seeing this technique taking on new realms in garment construction as it has the capacity to produce images and texts as fabric.  Emily Steels ‘Little Slide dress’ has been made from recycled film slides and on the back of the slides are LED lights that reveal captured images.  Steels design and concept is not only unique but it really is an epiphany in wearable art and how light is becoming an increasingly popular choice for our clothes. Integrating such complex technology into garment construction can often end in a disastrous mess but Steel demonstrates elegant aesthetics within a dynamic design to confidently produce a dress using LED technology.

(Little Slide Dress- Emily Steel)

In celebration of LED garment construction affair, we have put together some of the best designs that exude creative angelic designs that are practical and functional.

LED-encrusted dresses (Hussein Chalayan) 

This mind blowing dress is wearable art at its finest developed using microchips and boards.

Galaxy Dress (Cutecucuit)

This dazzler takes you to new bling dimensions whereby the Swarovski crystals are emphasised with the backing of LED lights.

Light Bulb Shoe (Chanel)

This shoe is just adorable it comprises of a sequin goat skin design with a fully functional light bulb as the heel.

Bioluminescent Couture (Vega Wang)

Saint Martin’s Graduate Vega Wang effortlessly transpires her inspiration of the ocean into artful aesthetically pleasing dress that unearths a magical feel once lit up its full glory.