Future fabrics dazzle at New York State Fair


 

As teen designers led a New York State Fair Fashion Revue Sept. 4 in the 4-H Youth Building, a few steps away Cornell researchers offered a glimpse of fashions and fabrics of the future.

Juan Hinestroza, associate professor of fiber science and apparel design, and Lina Sanchez Botero, doctoral student in the field of fiber science, demonstrated the latest in wearable tech: illuminated clothing that flashes in sync with ambient sound. 

The “Irradiance” collection debuted last spring at the Cornell Fashion Collective Runway Show and uses optical fiber cloth, electroluminescent tape and Arduino microcontrollers – all woven seamlessly into garments – to pulse in response to music, speech and other noises. The garments were developed by Sanchez Botero, Eric Beaudette ‘16, fiber science, and Neal Reynolds, graduate student in the field of physics, with support from Myant & Co. and Sensing Tex. 

Displayed for the public and 4-H youth, the smart clothing also caught the eye of CNY Central and the 4-H Media Corps, teen reporters who provided live stream fair coverage from start to finish. 

Hinestroza also educated passersby about work in his Textiles Nanotechnology Laboratory to develop functional cotton that repels bacteria, eliminates noxious gases and conducts electricity.