Experimental Defoliation Dress

Who doesn't love the fall foliage season?

What if we can experience that beautiful deciduous moment through a garment?

So why don't we make a dress that falls off like trees deciduous process?

For my MFADT thesis at Parsons, I decided to create series of interactive and performative garments which are inspired by the nature’s responsive actions. This interaction of the garment is inspired by the abscission action of the leaves during the Autumn.

So let's get started.

Step 1: Materials

- A dress

- Translucent Paper

- Flexinol Wire with Crimp Beads

- Wire

- Sponge

- Hot glue

- Copper Tape

- Solder

- Candle for the wax

- 9V Snap Connector

- 9V Battery

Step 2: Step1:Let's Lasercut the Translucent Paper and Cover the Dress

To give the sense of an abstract feeling to leaves to the garment, let's laser cut 100 pieces of translucent paper.

You can find the file for laser cutting from the top.

After that let's hot glue the upper side of each translucent shape leaving 2 inches space to cover all over the top of the dress.

Ps:If you are not able to laser cut those leaves, you can cut by hand 2,5 per edges similar the ones in lasercut file.

Step 3: Step2: Let's Make the Circuit That Will Give the Effect Falling Off

First,Let's have cut a flexinol wire 4'' longer and clip the beads tightly to each sides.

After that, Let's cut 2 wires 10'' longer and solder them onto the beads.

Step 4: Step3:Let's Make the Pressure Sensor

Let's cut 3 sponges of 2x2 inches.

let's put 2 inches longer conductive tape onto 2 sponges and put solder to strengthen the conductivity. And finally let's cut middle of the third sponge like an 1,1 inches square.

Afterwards, let's cut the one of the black wires into two and solder them over the conductive tapes of the 2 sponges. Put the third sponge in the middle.

Step 5: Step4:Let's Solder the Snap Connector

As you can see from the image above, let's solder the 9V snap connectors.

Step 6: Step 5: Let's Melt the Candles for the Magic.

Alright, let's tape the flexinol wire sides on the table to make it still.

Afterwards, let's put tapes on the flexinol wire leaving 1'' space.

Let's cut really tinny rectangular paper and put them in between of the each tapes.

And let's light the candle and start to drop the wax on every single tiny paper and then put the laser cut leave shape translucent paper over the wax and drop the wax over those translucent papers again.

Please watch the video for this process.

Step 7: Step 7: Let's Embed the Circuit.

Ok let's put the circuit under the leaves of the dress. So, whenever you will press the pressure sensor. The circuit will start to heat up little bit and make the leaves melt and fall off.

Ps: Don't forget to put 9V battery.

Step 8: Step8: Let the Magic Happen

Whenever you want to fall off your leaves. Just press the pressure sensor.

Let's turn our garments as beautiful as foliage.