When chemistry meets couture: Clothes that change color with the climate

Entering The Unseen Emporium at London's Somerset House is like walking into an alchemist's workshop.

The room smells strongly of burning sage, and there are old books stacked high on wooden shelves. An antique distillation kit sits in the disused fireplace with tiny glass bottles of oil, and long swaths of black cowhide hang from the walls.But most striking is the chameleonic couture on display. 

A bejeweled headdress, created with Swarovski's gemstones division, changes color based on the heat generated by the wearer's neural activity, thanks to hyper-conductive stones and heat-sensitive ink. The three sculptural leather jackets are infused with dye formulas that change color in response to different stimuli: friction, the temperature and humidity of the room, and intense heat. In its own room is a fragile ceramic dress called Eighthsense, covered with hand-painted pixels that reflect brain activity detected by an accompanying EEG headset.

This was the public's formal introduction to The Unseen, a trio of London fashion designers using chemistry, digital technology and exquisite tailoring to create fashion magic. 

credit : CNN