Solar Solace

Video by J R Hammond / Hammond Images
Animated by Michiel Verweij

Presenting the Solar Shirt designed by Pauline van Dongen
Made in collaboration with Holst Centre

The Solar Shirt is the latest design in our Wearable Solar collection and has been developed in collaboration with Holst Centre. The shirt seamlessly incorporates 120 thin film solar cells that are combined into modules using Holst Centre’s stretchable printed electronics, thus allowing the wearer to generate energy and charge devices on the go. These modules are laminated onto the fabric using a heat press technique, thereby fully merging the solar cells with the textile. Working with printed electronics gave the freedom to more playfully place the cells on the shirt. The solar cells are used as a graphic pattern, making the technology an aesthetic and distinct feature of the design.

The video shows the Solar Shirt in its daily use, while being worn by our friends. As they all wear it in their own way, they portray our vision of wearable technology as something that soon will become normative and will offer us new experiences.