Bass had a fantastic sale going on (70 % off most items; buy one pair of sandals, get 2 free; buy 1 luggage, get 2 free) so my co-worker/friend Paige and I decided to check it out. I not only got some new footwear, but found out that their plastic bags has an “EPI” additive which makes it biodegradable. Visit epi-global for more information.
Bass also has the Earth Smart line of shoes made from eco-friendly, recycled materials, including the packaging.
The lovely Emma Watson, who we’re pleased to see isn’t going down the typical destructive Hollywood road, has been a busy bee, making a name for herself as an actress, a fashion icon, a model, and is also currently a student at Brown University. She has also begun trying her hand at becoming a designer, and her efforts haven’t been in vain. She recently teamed up with People Tree, a fair trade fashion company offering organic clothing. Check out her clothing line right here.
What is it with people and the urge to give clothes the power to, well, power things? There was last year’s solar-powered swimsuit, and now there’s the Day-for-Night dress, which basically looks like a little white dress made up of tiles. More accurately, it’s made up of 448 circuit boards.
Each tile is designed in such a way as to accommodate a solar cell, a RGB LED, or a photocell, and jumper connectors (in the form of 0 Ohm resistors). A control board provides power, communicates with the tiles, and links to a computer via RF. The dress is completely modular both in terms of software and hardware.
So will we be seeing anybody all decked out in circuit boards? Uh, not likely, really. But it’s a nice thought. Perhaps people should just stick to turning bags and accessories into power-charging stations rather than making clothes do the work.
Last week, Triumph unveiled their latest creation: the Solar Swimsuit. It has mini photovoltaic cells manufactured by a company called Conergy, and these cells can generate enough power to juice up your iPod or your mobile phone. Spanish swimmer Gemma Mengual donned the swimsuit during its unveiling and the creation generated pretty mixed reactions.
Some people question how this swimsuit could possibly be useful, because there’s no way that it can be used in the water. I say it’s only meant for being seen in, and it’s the perfect thing to wear if you’re just going to work on your tan. Beach bunnies would probably find it fun to sit in the sun all day without their iPods’ and mobile phones’ batteries dying on them.
