Tag Archives: silence

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.

Concept: The beauty of silence

I have fine tuned my concept with my garment and have found more examples that could be interesting to incorporate into.

Since I am focusing on the idea of comfort and privacy, the idea of having a wearable technology that plays along the idea of the beauty of silence came to me. For me fashion has always been a language perceived by others about how they are as a person. If someone wore something bright and colourful, they are deemed as a loud and vibrant person however if someone who wears plain colours are deemed boring and simple.

I have found several articles that speak about this culture that worships sound but find silence uncomfortable. And here are some quotes that I found interesting.

https://blog.liberationist.org/listen-to-the-power-of-quiet-people-f6c1d0c9de89

https://www.andymort.com/quiet-people/

  • “A culture that worships loud people”
  • “Quiet people have a strong voice”
  • “Silence is not the absence of words, but the presence of focus”
  • “Quiet people need more safe time”

There is this general assumption that and labels being put on quiet people there something is definitely wrong when they are quiet. So my concept I think would be interesting if its ironic how avant garde fashion can attract attention because of its “noise” yet bring awareness to this “quiet” issue. This also helps people to learn and appreciate silence in a more physical sense. Almost like how nature flourishes when it is undisturbed.

  1. Who: For quiet people to wear, feel like they can stand out without making a sound/ For the society that is noise driven to understand and appreciate the beauty of silence
  2. What: A garment that will bloom/move/vibrate/grow/spread when the surrounding is quieter but recedes back when it starts to be noisy.
  3. When: Noisy/Quiet
  4. Where: Public/Open Space/City area
  5. Why: A misunderstood issue approached in another way.
  6. How: Sensors that respond to sound/ Servo motors that move / Sensors that can sense stares

These are currently my three concept sketches.  The most left is a garment that will only start crunching up to reveal a beautiful pattern when there is silence. The centre is an outerwear that will have “flowers” blooming only when there is silence. The final is a round skirt that will slowly “grow” vines or flowers when there is silence.

That is all, thank you for reading!