Adobe & Christian Cowan unveil world's first reconfigurable dress

Adobe and acclaimed fashion designer Christian Cowan have announced their collaboration on the world's first wearable and electronically reconfigurable garment. The cutting-edge piece, created using Adobe Primrose technology, met the world during Cowan's Fall/Winter 2024 New York Fashion Week showcase. This innovative partnership between Adobe and Christian Cowan signals a potential future where the boundaries of fashion design are pushed by technological advancements.

The "Adobe x Christian Cowan Dress Powered by Primrose Technology" served as the centrepiece of the new Fall/Winter collection at Cowan's runway presentation. The striking design boasts laser-cut polymer dispersed liquid crystal "petals" that can electronically transform their look to mimic Cowan's signature stars, instantaneously injecting life into the dress. Beneath each petal column lies a flexible printed circuit board, facilitating a seamless shift between shades of grey and ivory. This dynamic dress represents a significant departure from traditional fashion design, demonstrating the potential for static garments to transcend into vibrant works of art and technology.

The introduction of Adobe's Primrose dress at Adobe MAX 2023 was a landmark moment, showcasing an innovative technology capable of transforming fabric into a 'living, breathing' piece of art. Within a mere two months following the conference, the collaboration with Cowan evolved from an abstract concept to a wearable reality, marking an impressive achievement for both Adobe and Christian Cowan.

Christian Cowan remarked, "As someone always trying to push limits and embrace new ways of working, upon witnessing what Project Primrose technology was capable of, I was keen to delve deeper into this convergence between fashion and tech and join forces with Adobe for my F/W 24 NYFW. I was immediately inspired by its potential, especially attracted to the element of sustainability it offered by allowing the creation of multiple versions of a singular garment. I'm honoured to be the first designer to showcase how this impactful technology can bring fabric and designs to life in unprecedented ways."

Gavin Miller, Head of Adobe Research, commented, "We are immensely proud of this collaboration with Christian Cowan. It empowers designers to dream bigger, envision garments that evolve and interact with their environment, and underscores how Adobe's suite of products can pioneer new realms of possibility. With Primrose, traditional clothing, once static, can now be transformed into dynamic expressions of art and technology. The Adobe x Christian Cowan Dress powered by Primrose technology embodies Adobe's continued vision to sculpt the future of creativity and design."

Creating this unique piece involved using Adobe's own tools at every design stage. Adobe Illustrator provided the basic framework, mapping out the flexible printed circuit boards and petal positions and sketching the patterns. Adobe After Effects further added vitality to the dress by implementing compelling motion graphics, making the wearable piece of technology visually stunning. This groundbreaking creation echoes a trend where technology and creativity increasingly intermingle, giving rise to cost efficiency, shortened product creation cycles, and enhanced sustainability within the fashion industry through digital workflows.