New Cloth Market: Recent Episodes
New Cloth Market
Masks have become ubiquitous as a wardrobe staple, and are now becoming a fashion statement and a form of self-expression.
Tech-enabled fashion mask from Lumen Couture
The Lumen Couture LED Display mask utilizes new paper-thin LED matrix screens to allow custom text, drawings, and voice inputs, all controlled through an app.
The mask has breathable sections above and below the tech, and the technology is fully removable for washing. When the tech component is removed, the fabric mask can be worn as a regular mask.
Text Display When Your Mouth is Hidden
The mask’s companion app offers microphone input that responds with equalizer functions. Some wearers of the mask have been using it to display text and sentences that would otherwise be difficult to see or hear when the mouth is covered. Many wearers use the “stand back” message to encourage others to stay away.
Political Statements and the Anti-Mask Movement
The mask has recently been used frequently in protests and political activism, particular within the BLM movement as many protesters have been wearing the masks with messaging and support for the cause.
The mask has also received criticism from the “anti-mask” movement, with accusations of normalizing government oppression of requiring people to wear masks, and, as one commentator described, “oppressive dystopian fashion for end times.”
Creation of the Mask
Lumen Couture’s founder Chelsea Klukas has been creating fashion that incorporates tech for over 8 years. Her regular line includes tech-enabled dresses, hoodies, and costumes with customizable features.
The mask was invented when the pandemic was starting to take hold. Regular sales were slowing and events were cancelled, and Klukas was feeling somewhat demotivated due to the slowdown of the business. Klukas had planned to create some regular fabric masks using extra materials to distribute to friends, when she had the idea to combine some of the existing tech components to create the mask. The mask was originally posted it as a DIY project with instructions, but due to the massive interest it was quickly pivoted to production as part of my ready-to-wear line. Since launch, the mask has been in high demand and on backorder as Lumen Couture scaled up production to match the unexpected demand, but is now scaled up and available for immediate fulfillment. As a way to give back, Lumen Couture donated proceeds from sales from launch until June to The WHO COVID-19 relief and raised nearly $5K USD.
It’s been almost two years since we wrote about the work that Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) is doing to develop functional fiber computing solutions that will likely be the basis for moving us into Industry 5.0. Seems like we don’t even have Industry 4.0 under our belts, but technology does move fast these days! We spoke with the AFFOA team, including CEO Alexander (Sasha) Stolyarov, Chief Marketing Officer Eric Spackey, Senior Director of Business Development Natasha Spackey, and Chief Technology Officer Jason Cox, to get an update on what has transpired in the past two years.
The Board of Directors of Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, Inc. (AFFOA) are pleased to announce that Dr. Alexander (Sasha) Stolyarov has been elected as President and Chief Executive Officer of AFFOA as well as a member of the Board of Directors.