The Beauty of Silence (Final Submission)

The beauty of silence is an ordinary coat which reveals itself upon the change in the noise level in the environment that it is in. Focusing on the idea of comfort and privacy, the idea of a coat fits very well as a garment we use when need to feel warm and safe.

Biomimicry is the best way of inspiration, and this garment has been inspired by the simple mimosa plant. It delicate being represents the quiet people and how upon touching it recedes back not wanting to be revealed is where the idea came from.

In the society that we are today, we are a culture that worships loud people but often forget that quiet people too have a strong voice. Silence is not the absence of sound, but rather the presence of focus. Fashion has always been a form of language for one to express oneself as someone who is loud wear bright vivid colors whereas those that wear plain colours which is why the coat is designed in such a way whereby when the environment is loud, it remains as a plain looking coat however, when it senses the sound around dampening, it starts to reveal the inner fabric which is iridescent, representing the beauty of silence.

Designing the coat as something more Avant Garde and dramatic, makes the concept more ironic as fashion can be used to attract attention because of the. “loudness” it speaks yet bringing awareness to this “quiet” issue.

The technology that accompanies the garment is powered by Arduino, a sound sensor and servo motors. Upon detecting a certain value range of the sound around which is hidden among the button in the front of the belt, it will trigger the two servo motors at the side and slowly pull the coat a part to reveal. In this manner, the person wearing the coat will get the attention subconsciously without having to be conscious of using the coat. The revealing is subtle, so it draws just enough attention to appreciate it, but not too drastic that the user feels intimidated.

In conclusion, this coat is designed for quiet people to wear and feel like they can stand out without making a sound but also for the society that is noise driven to understand and appreciate these people as the coat revels itself when the surroundings get quiet. This misunderstood issue is approached in a different and unique angle through wearable technology in hopes of opening the eyes of the public.

Process of The Beauty of Silence

The first process to do was getting the pattern of the coat decided. There was a default oat pattern already available and just minor adjustments had to be made to make for example the sleeves shorter and deciding what type of collar I wanted. Originally I wanted to got more for a plain looking coat that ended off at the ankle but then later decided to make it longer and drag it to have a more dramatic aesthetic.

The fabric chosen for the outer one was wool in a dark shade and I proceeded to cut the pattern out and start sewing them together. Firstly starting with the back then the sides then the sleeves and finally the collar. I learnt that sewing a sleeve like this is a little different as you have to pull the thread first to give it a bit of shape and also something called a lapelle which is a double layer of the fabric in front that is used in coats.

The next step was to cut the same pattern for the inner fabricthat was an iridescent organza  and attach it to the inner coat. I pinned the coat to the back to try and see how it would look like after embedding the servo motors at the side.

Finally with some help with Naga, I was able to have a code and program it successfully to trigger the servo motors attached to the side of the belt that I fashioned out of cotton. I learnt many important terms in coding such as the delay and how it affects the Arduino. 


In conclusion, for future use I can make the technology aspect pf the belt more seamless and less bulky with a Lilypad and conductive thread.  Also bigger servo motors and thicker thread so that it would pull the coat better as my coat is heavy.

Overall it was indeed a laborious yet fruitful process in this wearable technology class and is definitely something I am proud of to have it in my portfolio!