While
Ermenegildo Zegna made the plunge into high-end, electronic savvy outerwear last Fall, its newest piece ups the ante by allowing gadgetry that you keep on your person to be charged up whilst out and about -- sans batteries. The Solar JKT is based around
Interactive Wear AG's iSolarX technology, and sports a number of
solar modules around the neoprene collar that can pass energy through conducting textile leads for storage in a buffer battery or to charge a connected device directly. The jacket can even be switched from 5V to 6V in order to handle a more diverse group of gizmos, and integrated LEDs enable you to quickly view the state of the
charge. Sadly, there's no mention of an expected pricetag for this uber-useful garb, but it will likely cater specifically to the affluent set when it hits the market as part of the 2008 Spring / Summer collection.
posted June 22nd 2007 4:53PM
"I'm looking for this boy. Have you seen him" (Holds up picture of John Connor)
unless the cells are modular, to be put on any clothing you want, toys like this will always be overpriced designer items rather than practical accessories.
That would be really cool if they'd add epaulets. It'd be the Members Only jacket for the 21st century!
Show of hands: Who still has one in their closet?
I'm proud to say I was (barely) cool enough to skip that fashion statement.