ECO-WEARABLE
MERGING ART AND TECHNOLOGY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

MARYAM DEHGHANI

Project Description

Eco-Wearables focuses on global warming, the ways that the fashion industry contributes to climate change, and the ways that fashion can also help consumers to have environmental awareness. The contemporary environmental crisis poses significant threats to global ecosystems, necessitating proactive measures to mitigate its undesirable effects. The fast fashion trend plays a significant role in Earth's warming. According to some estimates, the fashion industry is responsible for 10% humanity’s carbon emissions, water consumption, and waste production, leading to unprecedented temperature rises (UNECE, 2018). The aim of this research is to explore the potential use of wearable technology as a medium for visualizing the intensity of environmental crises and depicting temperature fluctuations. This project designs and creates an interactive garment centered on Canada, one of the significant contributors to Earth's warming, and victim to its effects, through forest fires. By designing a garment with precise laser-cut patterns inspired by Canadian provinces, it endeavors to dynamically visualize data that represents the challenges of a warming planet. The garment statistically shows the wildfire data in different Canadian provinces, transforming them into visual and wearable cues, that is number of LED displays and colour changes based on equal intervals. Heating pads warm the garment, and these are driven by temperature increases in each province, making the climate crises tangible. By exploring global warming and its effects like Canadian wildfires and the impact of the fashion industry I intend to provide a comprehensive and holistic perspective on the complex web of issues surrounding climate change.