Yes—clothing can be designed to make or control sound, but Jessica Lipsky’s 2014 EE Times feature describes experimental concepts, not a generally available product category. The examples show how garment closures and accessories could become interfaces for a personal soundscape or an interactive installation.
What “Wearables Sing in Smart Clothes” describes
Published on July 28, 2014, Jessica Lipsky’s EE Times feature reports on a presentation by Sabine Seymour, founder of the consulting and research firm Moondial, at the Wearable Tech Expo in New York. Seymour discussed music in fabric and garments developed with fashion-industry and corporate clients. The article treats sound as a possible function of experimental smart clothing, rather than documenting a proven market or a broadly adopted technology.
How could garment closures control sound?
The featured poncho was developed with a European fashion studio and the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. Its closures produced different sounds, while its buttons also served as speakers. By selecting closures, the wearer could shape a soundscape.
The broader interaction idea was to make familiar garment parts electronic inputs. Seymour described zipping pants as closing a circuit and suggested that hooks, buttons, and loops could be used to actuate or sense. That is a design concept: a conventional zipper or button does not automatically complete an electronic circuit. The garment would need an electronic design that makes the closure part of the circuit or sensing system.
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Seymour described her design preference this way: “It’s important to me that technology is seamless, invisible. You’re only aware of it when you need it.” This was an attributed design goal, not a measured user result or an established technical standard.
How the poncho and Soundperfume differed
The feature also covered BLESS No45 Soundperfume, an interactive installation developed by Moondial and Bless with Popkalab. Visitors moved through a curtain while clothing and accessories controlled the sound and volume of a sonic environment.
Rank #2
| Example | Interaction scale | Interface | Intended experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wearable poncho | Wearer-controlled garment | Closures selected by the wearer; buttons also functioned as speakers | A personal soundscape |
| BLESS No45 Soundperfume | Visitor interaction with an installation | Clothing and accessory objects used while moving through a curtain | A shared sonic environment whose sound and volume visitors could control |
These are two different applications of the same broad idea—using clothing-related objects to interact with sound—not competing products or a tested ranking.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 2014 report does—and does not—establish
- It describes a poncho concept with sound-producing closures and buttons that doubled as speakers.
- It presents closures as possible circuit-making, sensing, or actuation elements when designed as part of an electronic system.
- It reports an interactive installation in which clothing and accessories controlled environmental sound.
- It does not document a retail model, quantified performance, product testing, washability, durability, safety guidance, or present-day availability for either example.
- Seymour initially hoped the garments would connect to smartphones, but the report does not establish that the poncho had a production smartphone connection.
- The article offers no quantitative study result about music use or smart clothing. Its comments about headphone use are qualitative and anecdotal.
Accordingly, the feature is best read as a snapshot of wearable interaction and experimental fashion in 2014. It does not show that ordinary clothes can make music without specially designed electronics, or that these projects became commercial products.
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