The Wearable Solar collection by Pauline van Dongen is a series of garments that will appeal to those who prefer to integrate their tech into their elegant outfit. Her progressive designs utilize solar cells that capture solar light and convert it into electricity.
The solar parka is a collaboration between van Dongen and Wadden Sea Society, an organization that lobbies to protect the European coastal area, which is known for its sea walks. Guides of these tours are referred to as “Wad Walkers”, and the solar parka provides them with “shelter, comfort, and off-grid renewable energy.” According to van Dongen, “The design of this parka thrives when surrounded by nature’s elements: sun, wind and yes, even water.”
Photo source: Ecouterre
The solar parka is one size fits all, and comes with a hood made with the yarn from second hand jeans that was unthreaded and rewoven to create density. The jacket was manufactured by Alta Devices, a California-based company, and includes detachable solar panels on the pockets for charging electronics, and a single compact waterproof solar panel on its front pocket. The photo-voltaic cells in the front pocket can fully charge a smartphone in 2 hours of sunlight.
Photo source: Ecouterre
Pauline van Dongen is a Dutch native born in Amsterdam in 1986. After graduating with a Masters degree from the ArtEZ Academy of the Arts in the Netherlands, she started her own fashion label. Van Dongen’s vision focuses on the merging of fashion and technology, while remaining simple and minimalist.
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