Adobe and Christian Cowan unveil the first complete wearable garment

This innovative venture between Adobe and Christian Cowan marks a significant step towards a future where fashion designers can push the boundaries of creativity with cutting-edge technology.

The highlight of the new Fall/Winter collection, the ‘Adobe x Christian Cowan Dress Powered by Primrose Technology’, dazzled attendees with its inventive use of laser-cut polymer dispersed liquid crystal ‘petals’ that can electronically shift to display Cowan’s signature stars, adding a dynamic element to the garment. Positioned under each petal column is a layer containing a flexible printed circuit board, enabling the petals to change between shades of grey and ivory. This dress demonstrates the vast potential for fashion to evolve from static designs to interactive art and technology pieces.

“As someone who is always trying to push the limits and embrace new ways of working, after seeing what the Project Primrose technology was capable of, I was very eager to further explore this intersection between fashion and tech and collaborate with Adobe for my F/W ‘24 NYFW,” said Christian Cowan. "I was immediately inspired by its potential and was particularly drawn to the notion of sustainability behind it with the ability to create multiple iterations of a singular garment. I am honoured to be the first designer to showcase how this impactful technology can be used to bring fabric and designs to life in ways like never before.”

 

 

 

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The unveiling of the Adobe Primrose dress at Adobe MAX 2023 served as a crucial demonstration of this transformative technology, turning fabric into an active canvas for artistic and technological expression. In under two months post-conference, the collaboration with Cowan transitioned from an idea to a tangible, wearable creation, showcasing the remarkable synergy between Adobe and Christian Cowan.

“We are very proud of this collaboration with Christian Cowan which not only empowers designers to dream bigger and envision garments that evolve and interact with their environment, but also underscores how Adobe's suite of products can help pioneer new realms of possibility,” said Gavin Miller, Head of Adobe Research. “With Primrose, traditional clothing, once static, can now be transformed into dynamic expressions of art and technology, and the Adobe x Christian Cowan Dress Powered by Primrose technology exemplifies Adobe’s continued vision to shape the future of creativity and design.”

Adobe's suite of tools played a crucial role throughout the garment's design process, from Adobe Illustrator's layout of circuit boards and petal arrangements to Adobe After Effects animating the dress with engaging motion graphics.

As the fusion of creativity and technology grows more seamless, Adobe's contributions, from haute couture pieces at Paris Fashion Week 2021 to fostering sustainability and efficiency in 3D fashion design, continue to revolutionise the fashion industry through digital workflows and realistic 3D visuals with Adobe Substance tools.