MakeFashion

TechBurlesque 2.0 Recap

September 19, 2014/0 Comments/in Events /by MakeFashion Staff

This weekend Beakerhead hosted MakeFashion’s very own TechBurlesque during Beakernight. TechBurlesque was everything you expected it to be, glitzy, bold, and sexy. For those of you who missed the show (we won’t judge you for it), we’ve got an excellent recap of what went down at Calgary’s only techy burlesque show.

Burlesque started out as a risqué kind of parody a few hundred years ago. Recently burlesque has morphed into an art form for the culturally adventurous and is now seen as a sexy, comedic, dance performance that has been widely accepted in modern day society.

Traditionally the world of burlesque is filled with tulle, tassels, wigs, bright boas, and bustier. TechBurlesque took all those elements but welcomed the art to the 21-century with outfits that lit up.

TechBurlesque was everything you expected it to be: glitzy, bold, and sexy.

Located at the Beakernight event and hidden by giant glowing lotus flowers, the open air stage changed colours from purple to blue. The event opened with a funny speech from the charismatic Justine Tyrell, the official presenter for the evening, who was dressed in last years pink Illuminated Vintage dress, topped with the matching hat that lights up to sound.

The lights turned to blue as the James Bond theme started up. Max, the resident Bond, smirked as he graced the stage eyeing Beatrix Rouge dressed in a black dress and red boa, unlucky for bond he was pushed him back onto a sleek leather chair and tied him up. But of course behind every great man, is an even greater woman (in this case three), decked in gold shorts and black shirts that lit up the 007 girls danced their way onto stage saving Mr. Bond’s butt. He looked much more in his element once untied, cigarette between his teeth, and martini in hand.

After a quick intermission, Whiskey Sugarbush graced the stage dressed in a stunning white two-piece with glitzy jewels and lights sewn into the outfit. She looked breathtaking as she danced across the stage to ‘Diamond are Forever.’ And elegant as she pulled her white satin gloves off with her teeth. Next up was Beatrix Rouge’s solo to ‘Hubcaps & Tail Lights’. She strutted the stage with force, she flirted with the audience reaching for her zipper before stopping and giving a coy smirk. She was playful and enticing to watch. The two solos completed each other perfectly, dangerous, sweet, elegant, and sexy.

The show closed with another dance with Bond and the 007 girls, this time to the ‘Skyfall’ remix. The most memorable part and loudest was when Mr.Bond himself stripped and danced in nothing but a golden speedo, who said white boys can’t dance?

The event concluded with Shannon and Maria Hoover congratulating the team and everyone that came together to make TechBurlesque such a spectacular event.

– Photography and article by Mary Yohannes Getaneh, a second year Journalism student at Mount Royal University and our MakeFashion intern.

MakeFashion Shines at Calgary Mini Maker Faire

September 14, 2014/0 Comments/in Events /by MakeFashion Staff

Photos: Mary Yohannes Getaneh

This weekend some of Calgary’s most innovative came out to celebrate the act of creating at the second mini maker faire at the TELUS Spark Center. The Calgary Mini Maker faire is exactly what it sounds like, a fair for makers. The faire showcases creativity, and resourcefulness. Makers share what they are making and what they have learned, hopefully to inspire future makers to make their own creations. The makers range from designers, artists, tech enthusiasts, engineers, artists, and students.

MakeFashion ran its own booth nestled in the heart of the faire. The both displayed some of the last year’s runway projects. The dresses where a hit amoung every age group, especially the littlest of makers. Children watched with wide eyes as the dresses lit from one colour to the next, even boys decked in spiderman shirts thought it was cool.

At a glance they’re just dresses with blinking lights, but each dress has specific technology built into it. One dress responded to emotions, another dress responded to sound. The process in creating them brings fashion to an entire new level. The Dragon Queen for example is controlled through an app you can download. From that app the wearer can decide the movement of the dragon perched on the shoulder of the dress from twisting its metal body around to snuffing. Biomimetic Bride, another design displayed, uses accelerometers that reads the wearers heartbeat and lights up accordingly. Other dresses displayed where the ever popular Chameleon cocktail dress, Common Experience, and Medusa Fabulosa.

Alongside the MakeFashion booth was a section dedicated to the various art forms of steampunk. The easiest way to describe steampunk is it Victorian era science fiction. With steampunk everything is made with steam powered machinery and tools. Elemental Illusions had some fascinating leather masks displayed at their booth, just in time for Halloween!

If you missed seeing some of the amazing outfits displayed at the Calgary Mini Maker Faire there are more MakeFashion events in store including the September 13th TechBurlesque, open to all 18 and over. We hope to see you there!

– Mary Yohannes Getaneh is a second year Journalism student at Mount Royal University and our MakeFashion intern.

TechBurlesque at Beakernight 2014

August 17, 2014/1 Comment/in Events, Fashion /by MakeFashion Staff

Performance, tech, and geeky glamour take center stage at Techburlesque!

Join us at Beakernight for a free event celebrating feisty fashion and wearable technology. You’ll never think of tech the same way again!

Sept 13, 2014

8:30PM, doors at 8PM
Little Big Street, Lotus on Olympic Way and 12th Ave SE
Free event, 18+

More details at the Beakerhead Beakernight event page.

photo by Kelly Hofer

Model Search: Monday July 14th

July 11, 2014/1 Comment/in Events, Fashion /by Chelsea Klukas

Get discovered!

We are looking for the next face of MakeFashion and seeking models of all heights, sizes, and ethnicities for runway shows, high fashion photo shoots, and publications. Representatives from MakeFashion as well as Luxe by Calgary Bride and The Wedding Fair will be in attendance.

Monday, July 14th
7PM – 9PM

Endeavor Arts Gallery
#200 1209 First St SW, Calgary, AB

RSVP: info@makefashion.ca

MakeFashion Hits Manhattan!

July 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Events /by Chelsea Klukas

MakeFashion was in New York for the “Fashionware” show on June 25 as part of CE Week. Our team had a great time representing this years collection on behalf of MakeFashion teams including: Dragon Queen, Biomimetic Bride, Proxima, Illuminated Vintage, Tech Tie, and the Nebula. We were happy to share the spotlight with other leading designers including 3lectromode, Hexoskin, and Skulpt. This international event marks the seventh event our MakeFashion design teams have been invited to in the four months since the gala on March 1st 2014, and there are several invitations on the horizon.

CE Week is the CE industry’s official mid-year meeting, conference and new technology showcase. CE Week and its partners drew 6,000+ members of the media, retailers and thought leaders from across the country last year. Large corporations to innovative start-ups demonstrated new products, held press conferences and networking events, and CEA unveiled mid-year market research and analysis. Key industry analysts, business leaders and columnists presented exclusive data and insights in presentations and on panels.

MakeFashion is Looking for an Engaging Community Builder Intern

June 4, 2014/0 Comments/in Information /by Chelsea Klukas

MakeFashion is a creative wearable arts organization committed to bringing wearable technology to the runway and making it beautiful and inspiring. We are a volunteer-run non-profit organization headquartered in Calgary, Canada and Seattle, WA.

We are currently offering a Community Builder intern position. Deadline for applications July 1st 2014.

The Ideal Candidate:

– Has an interest in arts management and/or community building;
– Interested in how an international startup/creative organization works;
– Can be located anywhere (we are an international organization that works remotely!) if available for e-mail chats and Skype calls (typically early evenings outside regular business hours);
– Ability to create budgets (asset);
– Ability to prioritize workload;
– Editing skills (asset);
– Organized and a good communicator;
– Familiar with wordpress, google docs, and social media;
– Enthusiastic about creativity, arts, and technology.

Possible Responsibilities:

– Blogging and social media assistance for MakeFashion;
– Community outreach to local arts and maker organizations;
– Organize fundraising prospects list, and documentation system; keeping track of all grants we apply for and all donors and potential donors;
– Research the best practices in non-profit fundraising, possible funding and grant opportunities, and potential donors;
– Support donor cultivation – assisting with managing and tracking relationships with current and prospective donors, setting up donor meetings, drafting thank you notes and follow-ups;
– Help to develop fundraising strategies.;
– Presence at MakeFashion events and booths to promote designers and makers;
– Creative input on event planning for fundraising events and symposiums.

Benefits include:

– $300 USD honorarium;
– Real, valuable work experience;
– Fundraising experience;
– The ability to work with an international initiative (MakeFashion has toured through Canada, the US, and China, and has gained international media and recognition throughout North America and Europe);
– Opportunity for travel compensation for MakeFashion events;
– Recognition on MakeFashion marketing materials and reference letters/recommendations on successful completion of internship;
– Opportunities for future roles with MakeFashion;
– Direct mentorship from the organization co-founders including Shannon Hoover, Art Gallery owner and director of Calgary Maker Foundation, and Chelsea Klukas, experienced startup designer, public speaker, and current designer at Amazon.

This is a volunteer work experience internship. Internship will take place for approximately 3 months, but is flexible based on candidate’s availability. Internship will be part-time, up to 10 hours per week based on availability.

Interested candidates contact info@makefashion.ca with resume and/or CV before July 1st 2014.

MakeFashion attends MakerFaire Bay Area 2014

June 3, 2014/0 Comments/in Events /by Chelsea Klukas

“Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement.

Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned.” – MakeZine

MakeFashion attended the 2014 Bay Area MakerFaire on May 17th-18th in San Mateo, CA.

Our team showcased the Biomimetic Bride, Illuminated Vintage, and Common Experience.

Our booth at this family-friendly event was particularly popular with young children, as one little girl remarked about Biomimetic Bride “I want to wear a glowing dress but I don’t want to get married yet!” (we assured her that she can wear a wearable technology glowing dress at any time, wedding or not).

MakeFashion has showcased at other Maker Faires including Calgary Mini Maker Faire and Shenzhen Maker Faire.

MakeFashion Butterfly Dress

May 27, 2014/0 Comments/in Spotlight /by Chelsea Klukas

The Orange Tip Butterfly dress by Rainbow Winters changes colour in response to water and rain. This wearable technology blends into any garden party, featuring cutting-edge wearable technology innovation.

Photography by Kelly Hofer: kellyhofer.com

Rainbow Winters (Amy Winters) is based in London, UK. The Irish/Swiss artist graduated from Central Saint Martin’s in 2006 with a BA in Theatre Design. Rainbow Winters gives the ‘wow’ factor to the entertainment, fashion and advertising industries with interactive wearable design. Rainbow Winters has a radically different approach to wearables, fusing the cutting edge of science with the high-art of fashion to create visually stunning pieces especially made for music videos, rock-concerts, award-ceremonies, advertisements, magazine editorial and red-carpet events. This is Rainbow Winters first year with MakeFashion.

Wearable Technology for Make Fashion by Laura Dempsey

MakeFashion Spotlight: Proxima

May 11, 2014/1 Comment/in Spotlight /by Chelsea Klukas

MakeFashion Spotlight is an insider’s look on our 2014 gala pieces. Follow us as we showcase each of our designers and the inspiration and technology behind their work. Photos by Edward Ross photography.

The Proxima Team is Laura Dempsey, Hannah Newton, Ben Reed, Dan Damron and Chris Zaal at the SAIT RADLab. Laura Dempsey grew up in Calgary and has lived in Europe and the U.S. She is currently completing a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation at OCAD University in Toronto.

“I came across Calgary’s maker community while on the hunt for a laser cutter I could use for an art project. Through contacts at Protospace (a maker space in Calgary), I attended MakeFashion’s launch event, and decided to apply as a designer. I couldn’t be happier to have stumbled upon this community!

My design partner Hannah and I have collaborated on wearable art in the past, and this is our second year designing for MakeFashion. During the inaugural year, I created a motion-sensitive dress for dancer Sarah Curts that lit up based on her movements, and Hannah hand-crafted an amazing head-piece. A video of the dress can be viewed here.

Last year I chose a simple concept of movement-based light, but this year we wanted to create a more sophisticated and interactive narrative.

Proxima is about a love story. We wanted to create a physical manifestation of the ‘electricity’ produced between two lovers as they move closer to one another.

Technology used in Proxima includes:

Thingmagic M6e UHF RFID Reader

Beaglebone Black

2x 5V 3A regulators

2x 7.4V LiPo Battery Packs

TP-Link WiFi Dongle

WS2811 Addressable LEDs

Teensy 3.0

The seed of the idea for this year’s grew out of an idea about proximity, and how a garment might react to the presence of another person. We (Ben Reed and I) had several introductory discussions about the initial idea, what was possible and the type of technology that might be appropriate. As I’m currently living in Toronto and the RADLab is in Calgary, we had to make the most of our limited collaboration sessions.

The jacket went through several iterations before I finalized the style, but once that was done we moved forward quickly. I couriered the jacket to Calgary (where all of the LEDs, wiring and equipment were mounted on the coat and tested) and – due to my school schedule – flew into Calgary just two days before the show to construct the rest of the garment with Hanna’s help. It was a marathon!

Photos by Andras Schram

The jacket has been programmed to light up based on the proximity of RFID tags hidden within the male dancer’s costume, meaning that during the show it lit up only in his presence. The closer he came to the female dancer, the more the lights sparkled. The jacket was programmed to respond not only to proximity, but also directionality. So, when our dancers Megan and Ben faced each other, the front of Megan’s jacket lit up, and as she moved around him, the light would follow whichever part of her body was closest to his.

After the show, Ben Reed and his team re-programmed the jacket to light up with different colours based on the type of tag being held up to it. It allowed audience members to directly interact with the piece, which was really exciting.

Collaborating from a distance (I’m based in Toronto, Hannah lives in Vancouver and the RADLab is in Calgary) was challenging, as was my lack of sophisticated technical knowledge. It was also hard to conceptualize where all of the technology could fit into the jacket without ruining the aesthetic. Everything came together in the end, though!

Working with Ben, Dan and Chris at the SAIT RADLab was incredible. They made this piece come to life in a way I could never have done on my own. They also had great insights into possibilities I had not previously considered. It was really inspiring working with people whose skill sets are so different from my own.

I see great potential for wearable technology to be incorporated into dance performances. I always knew the performance would be a duet between two dancers. I think part of the beauty of wearable technology is in the story it can tell onstage, so that was a huge focus for this piece.

I like the idea of people connecting through spontaneous interaction – that something you’re wearing might light up based on the proximity of another like-minded person (whom you not have even met yet).

My advice to new MakeFashion designers is to jump in head first. Start with a simple idea, do research and ask for help often. You’ll find it.

Hannah and I are already scheming for next year’s show. We’re thinking of moving away from LEDs and looking into servos. That’s all I’ll say!”

– Laura Dempsey, returning designer for MakeFashion two years in a row.

Media on Proxima:

RFID Journal: Designer Has RFID Up Her Sleeve

The 2014 MakeFashion gala brought to you by OnConference in March 2014 had over 400 attendees and showcased an inspiring collection of local and international wearable technology. E-mail info@makefashion.ca for information on how to become involved as a volunteer, designer, tech enthusiast, or sponsor.

MakeFashion Spotlight: Illuminated Vintage

May 10, 2014/0 Comments/in Spotlight /by Chelsea Klukas

MakeFashion Spotlight is an insider’s look on our 2014 gala pieces. Follow us as we showcase each of our designers and the inspiration and technology behind their work.

Video by Paul Spenard

Illuminated Vintage was created by Amie Mae, Stacey Morgan, Kenzie Housego and Dan Demron.

“We are all originally from Alberta; Stacey Morgan and Amie Mae grew up in Calgary. Kenzie Housego is from Northern Alberta, and moved to Calgary in 2005 to attend art school. We believe Calgary is an exciting place to be right now for the arts. There is always new events and projects happening.Calgary seems to be a close net arts community, that is welcoming and collaborative.

MakeFashion 2014 was our first introduction to wearable technology. Amie, Stacey, and Kenzie all met completing their Bachelors for Fine Arts from the Alberta Collage of Art and Design. Amie majored in Jewellery and metal smithing, Stacey was in the Fibre program and Kenzie was in the Print Media department. Stacey participated in numerous wearable art shows at ACAD and Art Central, and continues to create event and wedding dress as well as other commission garments.

We created a collaborative four-look wearable art collection drawing inspiration from vintage styles, combined with 21st century wearable tech. This team looked to incorporate, accessories, feathers, light, sensors, and robots, all informed by a sophisticated, contemporary hybrid sensibility. Each piece used technology and design in a unique way while belonging together in one solid aesthetic collection.

We started with vintage inspiration images of styles, hats and accessories. Stacey drafted several dress designs and through multiple conversations we stream lined our concept and decided to focus on a featuring a specific colour per look. Which really help us as individual artists create a coherent collection .

The gold look is a romantic design inspired by the decadence of the 20’s. The dress created by Stacey is a bias cut satin design, based on the the popular lingerie style of the time. The gold created by Amie attempted to pick up in this romantic mood by incorporating transparency and light. This hat also includes a light feature is the brim of the hat that pulses to the wearers heat beat.

The red look represent a more 40s – 50s look with a classic shirt dress design with lily pad lights and an avant-garde hat featuring EL wire and multiple light accents. (Hat by Amie, Dress by Stacey)

The green look definitely inspired by a garden party 50s them. This dress has a sweetheart neckline decorated with the lily pad twinkles, and a sexy exposed mid-drift adding a contemporary sensibility. (Hat by Kenzie & dress by Stacey)

The pink look was inspired by the show Mr. Selfridges featured in the 1910s world war one. The multiple tears of the skirt were accented with under-lighting which created an individual spot light for the wearer. The hat for this look used audio circuit technology, which pulsed to in a pink/purple spectrum to music. This model carried a pink feather fan that used gyro scope and programable LED, that light up with the users movements. (hat by Kenzie & Dress by Stacey)

When we spoke to the team about using accessories and as a large component to our pieces, they mentioned that one of their engineers was building robots! The idea of accessory pets was interesting to us and we decided to partner up with Dan Demron.

As this was our first time working with wearable tech, there definitely was a learning curve, in that within our planning stage we did not initially think about concealing cords, housing batteries, while allowing for the movement of the wearer. We learned a lot through working with the technology, and there were several instances where we needed needed to come up with creative solutions, to keep the integrity of our concept.”