07/18/2014

Fashioning The Future

20:51 minutes

3D-printed NinjaFlex Electronic Fashion from Becky Stern at Adafruit. Photo courtesy of Becky Stern/CC BY-SA 3.0
3D-printed NinjaFlex Electronic Fashion from Becky Stern at Adafruit. Photo courtesy of Becky Stern/CC BY-SA 3.0

What will the clothes of the future look like? Ira talks with a textile scientist and a wearables innovator about how they envision fashion and how science and engineering can turn those dream garments into reality. Plus, chemist Juan Hinestroza explains what it would take to create a T-shirt that never needs washing, and Adafruit Industries’ Becky Stern shows us how tinkerers can create their own “futuristic” wearable electronics.

Segment Guests

Juan Hinestroza

Juan Hinestroza is associate professor of fiber science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Becky Stern

Becky Stern is director of wearable electronics for Adafruit Industries in New York, New York.

Meet the Producer

About Annie Minoff

Annie Minoff is a producer for The Journal from Gimlet Media and the Wall Street Journal, and a former co-host and producer of Undiscovered. She also plays the banjo.