This jacket can play electronic music

First, there were wearables. Then, there were hearables. Now, get ready for soundables.

Designed by Ylenia Gortana in collaboration with New York musician Birdmask, Showpiece is a jacket that functions as an actual electronic music interface. The garment, which at first appears to look just like an ordinary winter coat, is comprised of touch-sensivtive tiles that replace its typical down insulation.

The entire piece was built using various conductive e-textiles, which are arranged in a matrix of 52 handmade push sensors. Each one responds to a wearer’s touch by emitting a preset sound. These tiles consist of a layer of copper and silver thread, separated by velostatic foil. This enables the sensors to transmit a range of signals, and ultimately, gives each jacket square an on/off switch. Meanwhile, a pair of Arduino Lilypad boards (ATmega328) connect the tiles to a Bluetooth signal module that converts the data from touches into MIDI sound signals.

“The concept of Soundable Fashion [was] developed from the starting point of questioning myself if I can come up with alternative ways of presenting fashion than on a common catwalk. So…