Introducing the Judges of the TechFashion Design Challenge 2023

Both technology and fashion are focused on being at the cutting edge, developing new things and releasing them to the world — which makes them ideal companions with considerable overlap. It's with this in mind that Art by Physicist, solar film maker ASCA, Make:, MakeFashion, and solder-free LED specialist nLITEn Tech have teamed up with Hackster to run a challenge designed to highlight the future of fashion: the TechFashion Design Challenge 2023.

Running until June 18th, with winners to be announced in July, the TechFashion Design Challenge 2023 offers up a pool of prizes worth up to $50,000 to independent designers, entrepreneurs, makers, tinkerers, hackers, and fashionistas — including a rare opportunity to receive support in taking a creation from the workbench to a manufacturable commercial product, to be sold in collaboration with Art by Physicist.

The history of computer technology is one rooted in the world of fashion and fabrics. The punch-cards on which software for the first programmable computers were written have their origins in Basile Bouchon's programmable loom, developed in 1725 and pre-dating Joseph Jacquard's more famous fully-automated variant which looped the cards by eighty years. Today's fabric-making machines have simply swapped punch-cards for embedded computers — while programmable systems for everything from direct pattern printing to cutting, stitching, and even 3D printing mean mass production of novel designs is easier than ever before.

It's not just about the technology going into a garment, though, but what technology can go into a garment. The march of miniaturization has led to machines which would once have taken up entire rooms being small enough to fit on the tip of your finger — or in the hem of your dress. From smart skirts which illuminate depending on nearby Wi-Fi signals to T-shirts with programmable displays, the wealth of functionality you can add to fashion — beyond keeping you warm and dry — has never been broader.

The TechFashion Design Challenge 2023 aims to prove exactly that. Contestants are asked to design a wearable item of clothing or outfit which includes solar films or light-up electronics — or, even better, both, harvesting energy from the sun to power the lighting system. Submissions already received include wearable "Sprite Light" decorations, a windbreaker capable of keeping your gadgets charged, and a gesture-controlled cap — with more expected as the contest enters its final days.

All entries will be judged by an expert panel of engineers, designers, and technologists from across the fashion and science spheres — while the wider community will be given their own chance to offer up an opinion by voting on entries for the People's Choice Award.

Judge Dr. Kitty Yeung comes to the panel as a multi-disciplinary artist and creative technology with a PhD in physics. A love of art combined with expertise in technologies ranging from computational textiles to energy harvesting means a keen eye — and she's responsible for more than a few creations herself, ranging from the installation art piece Superposition created in partnership with artist Kris Xu to sustainable solar-powered clothing built using ASCA's flexible film panels.

Anouk Wipprecht, by contrast, enters the panel from the world of couture and high fashion — but with a design and technology twist. Known for blending robotics, embedded computing, machine learning, and 3D printing into what she calls "FashionTech," Wipprecht is perhaps best known for the Spider Dress — a high-tech yet high-fashion 3D-printed wearable which drives robotic arms on the dress itself based on data gathered by its embedded sensor system.

Chelsea Klukas' founding of interactive fashion label Lumen Couture would be more than enough to justify a place on the judging panel, but it's far from her only achievement: she's also the founder of MakeFashion, an internationally-acclaimed organization focused firmly on the collision between technology and fashion. With six years experience in global fashion shows and having created over 100 technology-infused garment, Klukas will certainly know what makes a good entry.

Amie "D.D." Danielle Dansby, a self-described "magical unicorn software engineer," is no stranger to making or wearing both fashion and technology. As a cosplayer, D. D. found that software and cutting-edge hardware like 3D printers helped push her creations to the next level — while also diving deeply into the tinkering side of things with projects including chip implants and (legal) satellite hacking.

Finally, judge Francesca Rosella co-founded CuteCircuit with a vision of expanding human capabilities through clothing — creating award-winning items like the Hug Shirt, which includes 12 haptic micro-actuators to allow wearers to send and receive hugs over a distance, and the world's first graphene-fabric dress. The winner of the 2023 Everywoman in Technology Innovator of the Year Award, Rosella's experience makes her an invaluable member of the panel.

Those interested to see what the panel will be judging can find the current entries on the MakeFashion Hackster community — and likes received there will count as votes for the People's Choice Award, too. Anyone interested in throwing their own hat — or scarf, or dress, or shirt, or shoes — into the ring can find out how to enter on the TechFashion Design Challenge 2023 page — but hurry, as submissions close on June 18th at 11:55pm PDT.

Main article image courtesy contest entrant Stive H.