Fashion

Don't Miss The Unseen's Color Changing Accessories

by Rosie W.

November 21, 2015

Like all '90s kids, I sometimes experience a longing for accessories that change color like my mood rings used to, and evidently so did Lauren Bowker, founder of The Unseen, a London-based company that has released a color-changing accessories line to be sold exclusively at Selfridges. The line features bags, scarfs, wallets and more, all treated with inks developed to respond to different stimuli.

There's a backpack that responds to atmospheric pressure, an alligator skin bag that reacts to the changing of seasons in the UK, and a shoulder bag that changes with UV light, humidity and heat. A graduate of the Manchester School of Art who dresses in black to remind herself of her commitment to The Unseen, according to Vogue, Bowden has made an impact in material science: she developed the award winning pollution-sensing ink, PdCI2, which changes color in the presence of pollution.

Bowker calls herself a material alchemist, and explains that her products were not developed just for looks. "Color and tactile surfaces act as a universal language, which can be used to interpret data," she told Forbes. "I feel this is a much more understandable medium than the use of facts, figures and numbers. The visual and haptic feedback created through color and surface is a tangible and accessible way to understand what surrounds us." She continued, "We’re not creating technology to be part of the wearable buzz; we’re creating items that allow us to explore more about our lives and the environment in which we live.”

This is not Bowker's first collaboration with Selfridges. Creative Review reports that The Unseen created a feather headpiece for Selfridges' Sagittarius window display that — you guessed it — changes color in response to its surroundings. She is also teaching a workshop on her technique, again in conjunction with Selfridges. In response to whether she will ever publish her scientific findings, she told Vogue “I knew I didn’t want to create concepts, to just write academic scientific papers which never result in anything. I wanted to make real stuff, and to show people — this isn’t futuristic, it’s here today!”

Her work is truly a sight to behold. Check out some of my favorite pieces below: