Technology Meets Fashion When Look Solutions' TINY CX Fog Generator Triggers Designer Anouk Wipprecht's Smoke Dress

smokedress_leadimage.jpgLook Solutions' TINY CX compact, battery-operated fog generator is small enough to be wearable but who knew it would form the basis for the Smoke Dress? Developed by Netherlands-based fashiontech designer Anouk Wipprecht in collaboration with designer Aduen Darriba, the Smoke Dress was unveiled at the Dutch Electronic Art Festival in Rotterdam and is currently being shown at Vienna's Technosensual exhibition, which is billed as a venue "where fashion meets technology."

The Smoke Dress is the latest creation from Wipprecht who dressed Fergie in an outfit made of Luminex with integrated optical fibers and LEDs for the singer's Super Bowl performance this year. Wipprecht is also well known for her cocktail-serving Daredroid creation. The Smoke Dress triggers attention with its flirty, blinking LEDs and then covers the wearer with fog as soon as people approach. The Smoke Dress functions as a protective shield, the designer says, "just like an octopus in self-defense" envelops itself in clouds of ink.

"Look Solutions' 630-gram TINY CX is fundamental to the Smoke Dress," Wipprecht reports. "I needed a wireless, wearable smoke system that could cover the dress with fog when people came close to it. TINY CX met all the requirements for size, ease of use and top performance."

TINY CX has a warm-up time of less than one second and is easy to handle. At its heart, a microprocessor controls and supervises all important functions for continuous and safe running. The fluid tank is fitted to the housing and filled with original Tiny-fluid, which ensures a dense fog output. The internal battery supplies energy only when necessary greatly increasing operating time. It can produce 10-15 minutes of continuous output or up to 150 puffs of five seconds each.

TINY CX can easily be triggered with one hand: The start button is placed in the device's lid and can be pressed with the thumb. It can also be operated by cable or radio remote control; with a DMX converter it can be triggered via DMX 512. A timer can program in fog and fog-free sequences.

Wipprecht is considered a rising star in the emerging field of "fashionable technology" or "technological couture," which combines fashion know-how and style with engineering smarts. Her creations act as "host" systems on the body moving, breathing and reacting to the environment around them. She often displays the nuts-and-bolts of garments on the outside so viewers can witness the unique interactions where technology creates the aesthetics.

About Look Solutions

Based in Germany, Look Solutions manufactures high-performance fog machines, haze machines, battery-powered mini-foggers, low-foggers, accessories and fluids at reasonable prices. Look Solutions USA, located in western Maryland, serves customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. For more information, or to request a demo machine for evaluation, visit www.looksolutionsusa.com or call Hunter Totty, Director of Operations, at 1-800-426-4189. Look Solutions' Technical Service line is 646-300-0520.