Picture a pair of ‘smart’ jeans with pocket finishes that clean and protect your device. Or a sweatproof blazer that, thanks to the antibacterial properties of its fabric, has been honed to weather-dependent perfection. These garments are available now and they’ve been developed as technology responds to not only what style wearers want from their clothes right now, but also how much more they demand from them. It seems it’s not enough for bag designers to simply create smarter, more roomy vessels to tote around goods (and by goods, we obviously mean devices), garments need to be made after a similar fashion.
Beyond-utility denim
Back to those phone-cleaning jeans. They’re also (proper) mobile guardians too. Award-winning industrial designer Joe Doucet teamed up with denim label 3×1 to completely overhaul the concept of a simple pair of jeans and give it a spin so inventive that the price tag of $395 seems remarkably reasonable. So, what does a pair of 3×1 Joe Doucet jeans get you? Phone-cleaning for starters (thanks to microfibre-lined front pockets that also protect your device), as well as a 20cm reflective strip that runs down the centre back leg. Visible when the hems are pegged, this strip offers extreme reflection while commuting in low light.
Perhaps not essential for car-loving South Africans, but for those on foot or travelling by bike, this denim upgrade could be lifesaving. The redesigned coin pocket is, however, genius no matter how you get from A to B. This often-forgotten feature on the front right leg has been enlarged to accommodate credit cards or a driver’s license and lined with high-tech radio-frequency identification or RFID-blocking fabric to ensure your data stays safe from modern-day pickpockets. While the notion of being physically pickpocketed may seem passé, virtual skimming is a possibility. Book a bespoke fitting for a pair when next in New York.
This article by Helen Clemson originally appeared in Issue 41 of Private Edition.
