The 3-D Printed Adrenaline Dress: A New Electronically Charged Dimension

The 3-D Printed Adrenaline Dress is the latest creation from Becca McCharen, a brilliant, maverick, Brooklyn-based designer whose creative push of every envelope known to fashion has made her a star with her own unique sheen. She breaks the mold in every way, coming from a background in architecture and never having studied fashion. Fabric, needle and thread may be standard fare for most designers, but they hardly compute in her unique clothing line. Chromat is her company and her sewing kit is equipped with a 3-D printer and materials like Flexinol wire and shape-memory alloys, which are made of nickel-titanium and contract like muscles when heated or electrically driven.

Chromat Adrenaline Dress: Source: Chromat

The 3-D Printed Adrenaline Dress

Ths creation debuted at Chromat's Spring/Summer 2016 Fashion Show during MADE Fashion Week. It marks a fusion between computer chip maker, Intel, and the fashion world. Chromat is  five years old and for the last several months the makers behind the label have been focusing on developing dresses and sports bras that integrate Intel's Curie module, which is a button-sized piece of hardware containing a battery, sensors and wireless connectivity that gives the dress the ability to sense adrenaline and stress levels.

Adrenaline Dress and Sports Bra: Source: Gizmag

According to Ayse Ildeniz, vice president of Intel's New Device group, "Intel's goal is to corner the nascent market for wearable technology that is fashion forward and highly functional. I think we're all about creating a category and it's about innovation leadership. We're trying to show the rest of the world that unimaginable things can happen through technology."

Becca McCharen and architectural sportswear

This line of smart clothing from Chromat is comprised of dresses and bras that are "responsive" and comprised of 3-D printed panels armed with tiny computer modules that sense and respond to a person's body. Becca McCharen told Fortune.com: " The Intel collaboration was a total dream project. Working with Intel engineers was like going back to school and getting a master class in mechanical engineering and sensors."

Becca McCharen: Source:Chromat

In her own words:

"When I started at Chromat I was coming straight from architecture, as I had never studied fashion or worked for another designer...Most of our processes are architecture-based...We always start from a conceptual, theoretic space. It's not about adding another strap, it's about adding something new to the conversation in fashion."

Chromat began as a joint venture with a fellow student at University of Virginia's School of Architecture  and has exceeded the expectations of her wildest dreams. Becca's dresses have adorned the bodies of many celebrities including: Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Madonna and Nicki Minaj. Her designs are eye-catching and often feature far-out techncal aspects on both bondage and bustier tops. She has also adapted her unique fashion aesthetic to lingerie, swimwear and a separate line for Urban Outfitters.

Taylor Swift And Company: Source: Chromat

The future of the Adrenaline Dress

For this designer whose creative vision is far ahead of her time, creating clothing that works is a priority. Her union with Intel is only the beginning of a lasting and dynamic bond between the incredible potential of 3-D printing technology as it pervades the world of fashion design.

Closing thoughts on fashion:
Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months. ~ Oscar Wilde