California Apparel News

Graduates of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising's (FIDM) Menswear Advanced Study Program made a connection between smart-looking garments and smart wearable tech when they unveiled their collections Thursday night.

Whether they created technology-enhanced looks, clothing with built-in gadgets or lifesaving devices, students elevated their fashion designs to digitally charged, stylish creations.

Showing her linen shirt with a hand-stitched 18th-century style dragon that included small lights, which illuminated the design, Cheyanne Teia Morgan explained that nature and LA streetwear influenced her creations.

Blending innovation and style was also the goal of Hector Anthony Escoto who was inspired by natural disasters, but brought a peaceful feel to a full-length men's coat using a moving disc that showed embroidered koi fish swimming.

Based on punk music, Jacob Wilder Gordon's striped denim jacket changed pigment when exposed to heat.

Other young designers from the program sought to bring ease to a man's workday through implementing solutions for easier multitasking.

A jacket designed by Taylor Rose Hertz allows businessmen to listen to a conference call or music through a suit jacket that included headphones, which use sound waves to allow users to listen to conference calls while also hearing the sounds of colleagues around them.

Travel for business or pleasure was made easier through Vani Patel's wearable translator jacket, which allows customers to listen to other people through their collars while being spoken to through a microphone in their sleeves.

Originally from St. Lucia, Najah Josie used colorful island-inspired prints to create unique styles that also keep electronic devices charged with solar panels fitted into a backpack.

Creating clothing that maintains battery power through a hidden, inside breast pocket charger was also the goal of Han Lee whose designs were based upon royalty and military styles.

Designing fashion that can keep customers safe through technological details was important to many students.

A motorcycle-inspired denim outfit by LaVon Poindexter, a "Tron" enthusiast and motorcyclist, used illuminated vertical strips to keep motorcyclists safe and comfortable for riding at night.

Bringing safety and comfort to skiing was important to Patrick Griley who thought of avalanche safety during a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo. and created a jacket that includes an airbag, which a skier can deploy during an emergency.

Surfer and skateboarder Jake Zielinkski lit up a pair of track pants with a strand of lights in the middle of a vertical athletic stripe, intended to keep men safe if they are skating or walking at night.

Students were mentored by the chief executive officer of Key Information Systems, Lief Morin. The company supplied wearable tech components that were necessary for the students to complete their designs.

During the event, a panel of judges comprising fashion-industry experts awarded the most marketable, cohesive collection to Patrick Griley, while Jacob Wilder Gordon won an award for the most innovative, cohesive collection.