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Charge Your Smartphone With These Solar Powered Clothes

Harness the energy of the sun and look damn good doing it.

Have an incredibly futuristic dinner party tonight and worried your smartphone might die? Well, now you can kill two birds with one stone by sliding on one of these new uber-chic solar energy harnessing pieces from the Wearable Solar collection, designed by Pauline van Dongen. “The Sun is the biggest source of energy on earth and now that fossil fuels are depleting, it’s time we come up with a sustainable alternative,” van Dongen explains.

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Right now the Wearable Solar collection consists of a coat and body-con dress, tricked out with solar panels that turn solar energy directly into electricity. If you don't want everyone to know that your amazing coat or dress is actually a really high-fashion charger, the 'solar cells' can either be exposed to covered, depending upon the weather or your preference.

According to the collection's creator, when worn in full sunshine for an hour the clothing can generate almost enough energy to power a smartphone. For those who want a tech breakdown: the dress contains 72  flexible solar cells and the Jil Sander-looking smartcoat has 48 rigid solar cells.

The full Wearable Solar team consists of Pauline van Dongen, Christiaan Holland (Project leader Gelderland Valoriseert from the HAN) and Gert Jan Jongerden (Solar-energy expert).

via Design Milk

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