Will LED Fashion Go Mainstream?

Transcendent or tacky: Can LEDs really be mainstream fashion? I took a bet on it!

Video Transcript:

Since organizations combining fashion and technology like MakeFashion have pioneered the space, LED garments have become increasingly popular. But the question still remains: will these garments ever become a part level of mainstream couture, or are illuminated garments destined to be limited to niche audiences for raves, costumes, festivals, and nightclubs?

Since co-founding MakeFashion and during the journey of producing my own line, I’ve often received comments along the lines of “that’s cool, but nobody is ever going to buy this”. Taste is subjective, but these comments introduce a good question of if the mainstream fashion world will ever really embrace the integration of light into clothing.

With the rise of the Maker Movement, an entire generation of creators are exploring new ways to work with electronics, including fashion. In 2018 and 2019, we’ve seen increasing how-tos in the space, including the Make It Wear it book from Amped Atelier, and the Hackspace book by Sophy Wong. The materials themselves are getting easier to come by, with companies like Adafruit suppling easy-to-use components, and I’ve also recently launched my own DIY wearables kit that available for purchase.

My new wearable tech LED kit starts at $14 and allows you to create garments with the same tools I use for my line.

The "Make it, Wear It" book from Hal Rodriguez and Sahrye Cohen teaches DIY wearable tech projects.

Sophy Wong's Hackspace edition has a variety of projects for makers of wearable tech fashion.

But we know that makers are gonna make, and the nature of the maker movement is that it pushes the boundaries of the mainstream – because if something is already out there in the mass market, there wouldn’t be much point in making it yourself, right? The uniqueness and one-of-a-kind nature is part of the magic of DIY projects.

But as far as mainstream fashion goes, new trends and norms need to gain certain momentum and popularity before they take off into the mainstream. We’ve seen some examples including the Met Gala where illuminated garments have had a mass audience, but these are still in the realm of costume and spectacle. We’ve yet to see it translate to something the average person would go out wearing, unless they were at a festival or event where costume-like clothing is acceptable.