Fiber-Optic Heels by Francesca Castagnacci Are Sophisticated, Illuminating

by Jasmin Malik Chua, 07/02/10

Francesca Castagnacci, wearable technology, eco-friendly shoes, fiber optics, sustainable shoes, eco-fashion, sustainable fashion, green fashion, sustainable style

Hard to believe, but LED-equipped shoes don’t have mean pulsating stripper heels or schoolyard-stomping L.A. Gear Light Ups. The results can be surprisingly elegant. Take Francesca Castagnacci’s fiber-optic-wrapped stilettos, for instance. Clad in fabric woven with light-reflecting optical fibers and high-efficiency light-emitting diodes, each shoe radiates an ethereal luminescence that is splashy, not flashy.

Francesca Castagnacci, wearable technology, eco-friendly shoes, fiber optics, sustainable shoes, eco-fashion, sustainable fashion, green fashion, sustainable style

STRIDE BRITE

Fiber optics are long, skinny strands of pure glass (sometimes plastic) no thicker than a human hair. Used to relay light over large distances, optical fibers can be compared to a house of mirrors, bouncing light signals back and forth across its reflective core. Because of its flexibility and non-flammable nature—light, rather than electricity is transmitted—fiber optics have ingratiated themselves to designers of high-tech wearables.

Fiber optics are long, skinny strands of pure glass (sometimes plastic) no thicker than a human hair.

Luminex is one company that has embraced fiber-optic technology for clothes that pack a visual wallop. So has Lumigram, an apparel label that promises our nights will “never look the same.” Castagnacci has chose the more subtle route, however. Nobody wants to look like a walking Lite-Brite, Katy Perry notwithstanding.

+ Bright Fashion by Francesca Castagnacci

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3 Responses to “Fiber-Optic Heels by Francesca Castagnacci Are Sophisticated, Illuminating”

  1. deb1632 says:

    The pictures are very bad. Couldn’t they find someone to model the shoe so we have a clear sense of what it looks like on?

  2. Seven Halos says:

    I was so amazed when I saw these the first time. http://www.sevenhalos.com

 

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