The Tech Chic Report:
Gareth Pugh’s Gadget Fashion
October 21, 2009
Sometimes a perfect storm produces a killer phone accessory. This time, the three-way collision is between Paris boutique colette, Apple, and rising designer Gareth Pugh. The result: An iPhone case and MacBook sleeve that draw a continuum between Pugh’s groundbreaking clothing designs and the rather limited world of gadget fashion.
The sleeve and shell, which are the fruits of a collaborative project between colette and fashion biannual AnOther Magazine, feature prismatic black and white designs that subtly incorporate Pugh’s signature star motif and color palette – or lack thereof. The accessories are uniquely functional, especially considering the designer’s constructivist style with clothing lines that apply the term “ready-to-wear” rather loosely. Instead of carrying over the designer’s unwieldy avant-garde style in its entirety, the gadget cases simplify it. They capture something essential about Pugh’s aesthetic and mold it into a sleek and practical – but still bold and eye-catching – package.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with him, Pugh is a young London designer whose adventurous and rebellious designs have catapulted his career over the past several years. While some of his clothing items are more akin to modern art objects that just so happen to fit human bodies, his iPhone and MacBook fashion line is proving to be more accessible. Pugh’s recent dip into the world of technology design and fashion’s other forays into the world of electronics illustrate a growing trend – designers are already embracing and further promoting the tech chic lifestyle.
Pugh’s gadget couture is an example of how designers can be innovative and apply high fashion techniques to new areas that may have more mass market appeal. His work also exemplifies how mobile technology continues to diffuse beyond its parent industry and enter previously uncharted territory. The realms of high end fashion and technology have traditionally been two exclusive spheres with incompatible cultures. Now, both industries are extending beyond their usual boundaries and overlapping in unprecedented ways.
Pugh’s iPhone shell and MacBook case can be purchased at AnOther Magazine and colette (currently sold out on its Web site), with select boutiques to follow.
Sources:
“AnOther Magazine x colette x Incase Gareth Pugh MacBook Sleeve & iPhone Slider Case,” hypebeast.com;
“Gareth Pugh,” style.com;
Photo courtesy of: highsnobiety.com;
farm1.static.flickr.com.
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