By Rain Noe - Sep 06

Twistron Yarn Allows Fabric to Generate Electricity

No batteries required

We've heard of electrically-conductive thread before. But a team of materials scientists have done that invention one better, by developing yarn that can generate electricity. The research team, which comes from a collaboration between the University of Texas at Dallas and South Korea's Hanyang University, calls their invention Twistron. It's

By Steven Johnson - Aug 23

Steven M. Johnson's Bizarre Invention #150: Rethinking the Necktie

Steven M. Johnson's "Patent Depending" series of inventions range from social commentary to plain ol' bizarre, and they always give us a laugh. So we've contracted him to let us publish one every week.

By Rain Noe - Aug 23

Elon Musk Reveals SpaceX's New, Functioning Spacesuit

…and it's pretty darn stylish

When you think of spacesuits, you probably picture the Michelin-man-style bulky numbers that astronauts wear on spacewalks. But both Boeing and now SpaceX have designed slimmer spacesuits meant to be worn inside of spacecraft. These don't have the ballistic protection (required for meteorite particles) that spacewalk-capable suits possess, but they

By Steven Johnson - Aug 16

Steven M. Johnson's Bizarre Invention #169: Bomb Blast Benches

Take a load off

Steven M. Johnson's "Patent Depending" series of inventions range from social commentary to plain ol' bizarre, and they always give us a laugh. So we've contracted him to let us publish one every week.

By Rain Noe - Aug 15

The Sewbot, a Fully Automated Sewing Machine, is Cool. It's Also Bad News for Garment Workers

CNC finally comes to a sector that it previously couldn't

This is one of those things that's technologically impressive and socially terrifying. CNC technology has spread into most areas of manufacture. One large component with CNC operations is "hold-down," or affixing the material firmly in place so that the business end of the tool can work it precisely. Hold-down has

By Rain Noe - Aug 15

After "Game of Thrones" Capes Revealed to Be Ikea Rugs, Ikea Releases How-To Instructions

Here's a 10-second clip of "Game of Thrones" costume designer Michele Clapton revealing where the capes of the Night's Watch come from: Apparently folks were titillated that Ikea rugs were the source material. So too was someone at Ikea, who then had whomever's in charge of producing Ikea's

By Shannon Rogers - Aug 03

Hand Tool School #41: The Perfect Shop Apron for Me

Retiring a useful friend for a younger, hotter model

I started using a shop apron about 5 years ago. I'm not sure what prompted me to first put one on, but I very quickly came to rely on it. I stopped losing pencils and my little 6" ruler, and my dust collector remote control was always within reach. Over

By Rain Noe - Jul 24

The Unlikely Tools Used to Manufacture Jeans: A Dremel, Sandpaper, Rocks, Shotgun Pellets

Increasing labor costs to help destroy the product seems ridiculous

We modern-day consumers have inconsistent aesthetic choices that affect certain factory lines in odd ways. For instance, we want our cars, smartphones and appliances to look brand new, but a subset of us want our jeans and furniture to look old and beat-up. This latter preference has resulted in some

By Emily Engle - Jul 12

BuzziPleat Ruffs Merge Acoustics and Lighting

They're also the identical twin of Queen Elizabeth I's neck piece

There's been a lot of "buzz" around BuzziSpace and 13&9's award-winning BuzziPleat, aka giant ruffs that can be used as sound dampeners, lighting, and/or decoration. They look just like this... but are way more functional. Although pretty much anything would be—unless anyone can convince me otherwise, those neck things do not seem to serve a purpose.

By Emily Engle - Jul 12

Nike Brings Flyknit Technology to Clothing with the FE/NOM Flyknit Sports Bra

This one's for the ladies

Ask any woman—no matter what their size or shape may be—what their main challenges are during a workout. I guarantee the conversation will start with sports bras nine times out of ten. Often times, sports bras lack support, and the materials used are not as sweat-friendly as promised. This leads

By Rain Noe - Jul 05

Breaking Down the Design of the Amazonian Armor in "Wonder Woman"

Influences, materials and battle function

As the Costume Designer for "Wonder Woman," Lindy Hemming had her work cut out for her. The titular character's costume had already been designed, by Michael Wilkinson, for her appearance in the earlier "Batman v. Superman," and now it fell to Hemming to reverse-engineer how that costume might have evolved

By Emily Engle - Jul 03

MOO Announces Business Cards Made from Cotton T-Shirts

An old manufacturing technique, revived

Business printing company MOO recently announced their latest project—printing business cards using paper made from recycled cotton t-shirts. Cotton paper is nothing new: As MOO Head of Product Design Toby Hextall describes, "cotton rag paper is one of the older forms of paper manufacturing, but it fell out of fashion

By Rain Noe - Jun 22

Watch This Making of an Equus Alligator Watch Strap Video

A clean, quiet, soothing process

Most of you reading this blog, and most of us writing it, know what it is to make things. And we've all seen tons of videos of other people making things. This one here, of an expert saddler/sellier crafting an alligator watch strap for Equus, stands out for being the

By Rain Noe - Jun 09

Stantt's Data-Driven Sizing of Men's Shirts for a Perfect Fit

The company offers a staggering 75 different sizes, based on just three measurements

Most button-down men's shirts come in XS, S, M, L, XL. Just five sizes. As industrial designers we understand that manufacturers must limit their production variations in order to maintain profit, but clothing manufacturer Stantt reckons that those five sizes truly fit just 15% of men. That's why Stantt

By Kat Bauman - Jun 06

Did IKEA Diss Balenciaga In This Bag Ad? 

Design beef even tastier than their meatballs

I enjoy IKEA hacking as much as the next guy, but Balenciaga's $2.1k "homage" to the classic blue bag felt a bit hackneyed. While the accessible furniture and home goods company has stated publicly that the high fashion rip off is "flattering" this new ad might suggest otherwise. It's

By Rain Noe - Apr 04

Affordable Desktop CNC Machines Expand Into Textiles

Kniterate brings DIY digital fabrication to fashion designers

Within the hierarchy of designers, graphic designers were the first to gain affordable digital tools with the advent of the Mac. Then industrial designers, with the arrival of desktop 3D printers and CNC mills. Now fashion designers will be joining the affordable digital fabrication party, thanks to designer and inventor

By Core Jr - Apr 04

Studio Swine Dreams Up a "Multi-Sensory Experience" for COS 

The exhibition made for Salone 2017 in Milan features material-repelling smoke bubbles

For the sixth year in a row, fashion brand COS joins in on the Milan Design Week fun with an encapsulating exhibition created by Studio Swine, the design duo behind a number of beautiful process-related design films over the past few years (and whose films we presented at our 2016

By Emily Engle - Mar 24

The Levi's x Jacquard by Google Denim Jacket is a Garment, Not a Device

The powerhouse design duo is weaving with conductive yarn

Jacquard by Google has teamed up with Levi's to create a smart denim jacket, specifically with bike commuters in mind. The collaboration has been going on for quite some time—back in 2015, Ivan Poupyrev, technical program lead at Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division and Paul Dillinger, vice president

By Rain Noe - Mar 21

Adidas Experimenting With On-Demand Clothing

Get body-scanned in the store, which is also the factory

The business of making and selling clothes has waste built right into the process: Rolls of fabric have patterns cut out of them, creating unusable scraps; retailers must guess what will be popular and how many units will sell, and whatever doesn't move becomes clearance. That results in slashed price

By Rain Noe - Mar 15

Calavera Tool Works' Rugged Leather Shop Aprons

Designed for the working craftsperson

Started by industrial designer Michael Williams, Calavera Tool Works is a new company creating products to support craftspeople. They recently rolled out their line of hard-wearing leather shop aprons: "We feel like the folks building fine furniture and cabinetry deserve gear that's just as comfortable and durable as the high

By Kat Bauman - Jan 12

What If Fake Nails Were Soft?

An uncomfortable materials question

Artist Nadja Buttendorf snagged my attention with an invention that is simultaneously intriguing and skin crawling: soft fingernails. Anyone who's grown long nails can attest that they come with a host of structural and environmental issues. Typing, opening lids, and navigating anything with push buttons can be tricky or even

By Emily Engle - Nov 16, 2016

ASIYA's Athletic Hijabs Help Muslim Women Get in the Game

There's only a few hours left to contribute to this powerful Kickstarter campaign

It's not often we see fashion design working to empower a community—clothing is usually about the individual. For this reason, among many other important ones, ASIYA's line of culturally appropriate activewear instantly caught our eye. Through the sleek design of their athletic hijabs, ASIYA aims to encourage Muslim women of

By Kat Bauman - Nov 08, 2016

Uh What: Scorpion Manicures

Innovative use of form? A return to natural materials? A fancy new kind of NOPE?

If you need any proof that women are tough as hell and wickedly creative, here's a daring beauty trend you may have missed: lethal insects attached to your hands! The "Scorpion Manicure" reportedly got its start last year in Durango, Mexico, where visual artist Lupita Garcia works the bodies

By Allison Fonder - Nov 08, 2016

Bras Inspired by Architecture Provide True Support for Women 

Trusst Lingerie brings digitally-fabricated relief to fuller busted women

In this digitally assisted, rapid prototyping-happy moment, it's easy to forget how difficult modeling and manufacturing a final product used to be. Examples that stand out include Frank Gehry's building designs that were technically impossible to build before the advent of CAD software, also how the customization abilities of 3D

By Rain Noe - Oct 27, 2016

Thinking Outside the Socks: URU Design's Unusual, Sustainable Solution to Sock Waste

Solosocks makes seven socks last as long as twelve

Every winter in New York City you'll spot lone gloves on the sidewalk or subway platform. That always makes me sad, as I know the person who lost it will undoubtedly throw the other one away. Single gloves aren't much good. Socks are the same; once you've got a hole