ASVOFF TOKYO, a three-day fashion and art short film festival, held from November 29th to November 30th, featured a talk show featuring ANREALAGE designer Kunihiko Morinaga and Rhizomatiks designer Daito Manabe. The two young creators, who transcend the boundaries of their respective genres, shared their recent work and shared their latest achievements. Morinaga, whose 2013-14 Autumn/Winter collection featured clothes that change color in response to sunlight (ultraviolet rays), and whose 2014 Spring/Summer collection featured clothes whose shape can be changed by turning a dial, said, "The basis of my clothing design is how to break away from conventional ideas in clothing. However, there's no point in simply making interesting inventions, so I want to firmly maintain the boundaries of fashion as being both elegant and stylish." These color-changing garments were created by applying a special dye to fabric that takes advantage of a phenomenon known as "photochromism," a chemical reaction triggered by ultraviolet light. Manabe first encountered photochromism through a research paper, and presented video footage of his experiments, including one using a liquid that changes color when exposed to ultraviolet light, and another using programming to create a system that draws pictures on a transparent board with a film sandwiched between photochromic materials. In response to Morinaga's comment that "it would be interesting if Manabe created clothing," Manabe replied, "I like coming up with ideas on a given theme, but it's difficult to finally translate them into clothing." He continued, "About five or six years ago, I created several prototypes of things that change in response to input, such as clothing that uses sensors to change shape based on a person's mood or state, clothing that opens slits in response to heartbeat, or clothing that changes shape when you laugh. Technically, it's not impossible, but I didn't have the know-how to turn it into clothing." Manabe played a video of an experiment using sensors found in medical equipment. He demonstrated how artificial muscles were sewn onto fabric, changing its shape in response to hand pressure or facial movements. He also demonstrated how costumes' patterns and shapes change with footage of the female group "Perfume," whose presentation at the Cannes Lions Awards ceremony garnered much attention. He also introduced a project in which a deaf dancer dances using electrical stimulation, and a project in which a sewing machine is programmed to embroider pictures drawn by the dancer onto T-shirts using a programming language. The two keep in touch privately, and Morinaga sometimes asks Manabe if his ideas are feasible. Diane Pernet, organizer of Asvoff, also commented at the end of the talk show: "It was fascinating to see the actual installation at the Anrealage store. The mechanism by which the clothes move using sensors, as Manabe explained, is also fascinating. I look forward to seeing how their creations develop into clothing."
