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Coativity Interactive Jacket by Henk-Jan Room |
Home > Winners > Design #52778 >Interview |
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FS: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
HR: The Interactive Jacket is a physical jacket combined with technology. This jacket can be connected with social media. Via an application on your mobile device you can select your preferences and based on them, the interactive jacket communicates through light with other people as soon as they are nearby and match your interests. This can be related to dating, networking, festivals or spontaneous meetings on the street. Encouraging real life interactions that lead to meaningful connections! The technologic developments of these days has a big influence on our daily lives. We are diving more and more in the digital world, what can make us individuals secluded in the real world. I want to use these great technologic developments to support real contact in the real world. I really believe we as human beings are made for relations and intimacy. We are social beings made for real life interactions.
FS: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
HR: I want to use technology to bring people together. Encouraging real life interactions that lead to meaningful connections! I really believe we as human beings are made for relationships and real life interactions. I want to use my creativity and knowledge to make the world a better place to live.
FS: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
HR: I am busy developing this concept to a implemental final and integral product.
FS: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
HR: I had the idea for quite a long time. In Augustus of last year (2016) I started to make a prototype of it, to test the principle and finding out the best way to combine fabric with light. It cost me 1,5 month to realize this prototype.
FS: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
HR: This project was not commissioned but arises from my vision I have about the future and all the technical developments of these days. As a concept designer I want to inspire and enable human beings to connect! I want to use technology to bring people together. Encouraging real life interactions that lead to meaningful connections. Technologic developments are shaping every day life. In particular how we relate to each other. And in many ways that's very exciting! Technology makes communications easier, faster and cheaper. But there are also downsides.. We can miss a deeper level of communication. We are sending information rather than conducting real conversations. We need to be aware of the developments of technology. How technology shapes the way we see each other and the world around us. I want to put human beings in the centre. Implementing technology into our real life interactions. Mixing the digital world into the physical (instead of the other way around). Supporting real contact in the real world. As a concept designer I focus on projects that shape technology and meet human needs. We live in a really exciting time in history! The possibilities are unlimited and there are lot of areas to explore. I want to create awareness. Looking for ways how technology can services human needs. To form a vision about that. Bringing people together. Encouraging real life interactions that lead to meaningful connections.
FS: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
HR: I will produce this product myself together with my team of designers, engineers, software programmers and business developers. There are already clients interesting in this concept.
FS: What made you design this particular type of work?
HR: This is an example of a combination of digital into physical.
FS: Who is the target customer for his design?
HR: The application of this concept is very broad. From safety to dating, networking or festivals.
FS: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
HR: This project combine fabric and light in such way that it results in a nice and beautiful piece of cloth. In the end it should be worn by the consumer who only wants to wear it when it's attractive. Because fashion relates to our identity.
FS: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
HR: The name is a combination of ‘coat’ and ‘connectivity’. It is a coat that support connectivity.
FS: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
HR: Sketching for elaborating the idea. Handwork for building the prototype. A photoshoot for communicating the concept.
FS: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
HR: The most unique aspect of the design is physical consequence, born out of the idea and vision of our future world. The way of combining fabric with light is quite new, what leads to a difuse and esthetical piece of cloth that gives light. Sometimes you see some developments in the markets of direct lights what is processed into fabric. The result is not always that subtile and sexy to invite people to actually wear it. To make people use the product it’s important to create a design what is attractive to use.
FS: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
HR: The prototype I realized by myself. To bring this product to the next level for final production and implementation into the market I work together with great and smart people like designers, engineers, software programmers and business developers. Next to that I work in co-partnership with a party to pushing this product to a qualitative and integral final customer product.
FS: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
HR: The role of technology is making new applications possible by making new combinations. By combining traditional fashion with the technological developments of these days you can create interesting new concepts and provide new markets.
FS: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
HR: No
FS: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
HR: The challenges was to combine light and fabric in such a way that it gives subtile and esthetical light in a difuse way. Then to develop the concept to a product what is usable for the consumer market, inviting people to wear the cloth.
FS: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
HR: A friend of mine suggest me to submit it for a design competition. So I did..
FS: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
HR: You learn by doing. An idea is just an idea till you build, test and improve it to an integral producible product.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
HR: For me it all starts with a vision. If you have an idea about the world you want to create it gives a lot of clarity and creativity for exciting new concepts and possibilities.
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A' Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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