Wrapping Up with the top 10 fashion phenomena of 2024

As the year comes to a close, we round up the big stories that defined the intersection of architecture, art, design, and technology in 2024. This year, fashion has embraced bold new concepts that redefine norms, like Iris Van Herpen’s kinetic butterfly sculptures at the MET Gala and Coperni’s ethereal Air Swipe Bag crafted from NASA’s silica aerogel. Collaborations fused existing designs with cutting-edge innovation, such as Prada’s partnership with Axiom Space for NASA’s lunar spacesuits and NIKE’s 3D printed Air Max 1000 sneakers with Zellerfeld.

From the runways of Paris to exhibitions in Tokyo, 2024 demonstrated how fashion designs become an experience. Designers embraced sustainability, with MIT’s robotic tailoring redefining garment construction and Adobe’s interactive dress proving technology can be integrated into haute couture. These innovations, alongside cultural statements like Mongolia’s Olympic uniforms inspired by traditional Deel clothing, highlight a year rich in fashion phenomena. Here’s a look back at the top 10 fashion stories that captured our imagination and defined the past 12 months.

BUTTERFLY KINETIC SCULPTURES FLUTTER ALONG IRIS VAN HERPEN’S COUTURE DRESS AT MET GALA 2024 

image courtesy of Iris Van Herpen

At the MET Gala 2024, Iris Van Herpen debuted APSARA, a haute couture creation that brings together fashion and kinetic art. The dress, worn by Mona Patel, embodied the theme of the event, Garden of Time, with golden, reflective lines accentuating pink-hued textiles that cascaded like butterfly wings. Accompanying the dress were kinetic butterfly sculptures, created by artist Casey Curran, which slowly fluttered along Patel’s arms, adding a sense of movement and life to the ethereal ensemble.

The kinetic sculptures were powered by a mechanical system hidden in a discreet box, where translucent wires and a rotating crank animated the delicate pink wings. This intricate mechanism gave the butterflies a lifelike quality, transforming the gown into a living, breathing piece of art. 

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COPERNI REVEALS NEW SWIPE BAG MADE OF 99% AIR USING NASA’S SILICA AEROGEL 

image courtesy of Coperni

Coperni unveiled its groundbreaking Air Swipe Bag during its FW24 show, a creation made of 99% air and 1% glass. The Parisian fashion house collaborated with Professor Ioannis Michaloudis to design the bag using NASA’s silica aerogel, a nanomaterial renowned as the lightest solid on Earth. With a misty, cloud-like appearance, the bag evokes a sense of frozen vapor, resembling a portable CD player. Weighing just 33 grams, the bag is delicate, and users are advised to handle it with care, limiting its contents to light essentials.

Silica aerogel, a cutting-edge material originally developed by NASA, lends the bag its weightlessness and ethereal aesthetic. Aerogel was famously used in NASA’s 1999 Stardust mission to capture comet particles, thanks to its ability to endure extreme conditions, including temperatures up to 1,200°C and pressures 4,000 times its weight. For the Air Swipe Bag, Coperni reimagined this space-age material, creating the largest object ever made from silica aerogel. 

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NIKE AND ZELLERFELD REIMAGINE AIR MAX 1 AS 3D PRINTED SNEAKERS NAMED 1000 

image courtesy of NIKE

NIKE and Zellerfeld partnered to reinvent the iconic Air Max 1 as 3D printed sneakers, dubbed the Air Max 1000, presented at ComplexCon 2024 in Las Vegas. The innovative design incorporates NIKE’s signature airbag cushioning in the heel for enhanced comfort and support, alongside breathable materials and honeycomb-structured midsoles developed through Zellerfeld’s expertise in 3D printing. Known for their work with Moncler and customizable, washable shoes, Zellerfeld ensures the Air Max 1000 offers a custom fit, using foot-scanning technology to tailor each pair to the wearer.

This collaboration aligns with NIKE A.I.R shoes, introduced earlier in Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympics. At ComplexCon, attendees explored the evolution of NIKE’s Air technology, including historical prototypes from Frank Rudy, the inventor of the original air cushioning system. While the Air Max 1000 silhouette was showcased at the event, no release date or market availability has been announced. 

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PRADA AND AXIOM SPACE’S NASA LUNAR SPACESUITS FOR ARTEMIS III MOON MISSION 

Prada and Axiom Space unveiled the final design for NASA’s lunar spacesuits, developed for the Artemis III mission slated for 2026. The reveal took place at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy, marking a milestone in the collaboration between the luxury fashion brand and the spaceflight company. The suit design, completed after extensive pressurized simulations with partners like SpaceX, will next undergo underwater tests at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) and integrated trials with Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle prototypes. A formal design review is scheduled for 2025.

Prada’s involvement introduces innovative manufacturing techniques and material expertise, resulting in a suit layered with a heat-reflective white fabric designed to protect astronauts from extreme lunar temperatures and abrasive moon dust. The suit offers improved flexibility, advanced protective features, and tools tailored for lunar exploration, though specific technological innovations have yet to be disclosed. 

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ADOBE’S FIRST COMPLETED INTERACTIVE DRESS DEBUTS AT CHRISTIAN COWAN’S RUNWAY IN NEW YORK 

image courtesy of Adobe and Christian Cowan

Adobe’s interactive dress, Project Primrose, premiered during Christian Cowan’s FW24 show at New York Fashion Week. The groundbreaking garment merges technology and fashion with 1,264 laser-cut polymer dispersed liquid crystal petals on the upper section and a starry lower half in silvery tones. Beneath its surface, flexible printed circuit boards drive the dynamic shifts in color, alternating between shades of gray and ivory as the model moves. Developed with Adobe’s in-house tools, the dress represents over a decade of research and innovation.

Using Adobe Illustrator and After Effects, Adobe’s Research Scientist TJ Rhodes and Project Primrose co-developer Christine Dierk collaborated with Christian Cowan to map out petal positions, animate the design, and integrate the underlying electronic systems. Every petal and circuit board was hand-sewn into the garment, ensuring the functionality and artistic vision were realized. The project built upon earlier efforts like Adobe’s Project Glasswing, evolving from animated displays in translucent objects to a fully wearable interactive dress.

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AVAVAV LAUNCHES ADIDAS SNEAKERS WITH DETACHABLE RUBBER TOES THAT DOUBLE AS PURSES 

Adidas and AVAVAV partner for Superfinger Superstar, a pair of sneakers with detachable rubber toes that can double as purses. Initially previewed during Milan Fashion Week 2024, these sneakers bring the Stockholm-based fashion house’s signature finger shoes to the Adidas Superstar line. The detachable rubber toes are crafted from full-grain leather, with a rubber midsole, outsole, and shell toes. These ‘gloves for shoes’ are adjustable, using belts on the side with stoppers to ensure a secure fit.

The rubber toes are designed to be versatile, allowing wearers to either attach them to the sneakers for an avant-garde look or remove them for use as purses. While they may not fit large items, their four toe-shaped compartments are ideal for smaller objects like lipstick, eyeliners, or cigarettes. Thanks to the flexible nature of the rubber, they can also accommodate a variety of items.

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MIT’S ROBOT ARM CAN TAILOR A DRESS USING COMPUTERIZED KNITTING AND HEAT-ACTIVATED YARNS 

image by Olivia Mintz, courtesy of MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab

MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab, led by Sasha MicKinlay, introduced the 4D Knit Dress, a groundbreaking innovation in customizable fashion. Created in collaboration with Ministry of Supply, the dress combines heat-activated yarns, computerized knitting, and a six-axis robotic arm typically used in the automotive industry. The result is a garment that can be sculpted to fit any body size and style preference.

The 4D Knit Dress is shaped directly on the wearer’s body as the robot applies precise heat to activate the fibers, creating customizable details like pintucks, pleats, or cinched waists—all without sewing or needles. The dress can also be reshaped or resized after months of wear, allowing users to update its style, making it a sustainable alternative to fast fashion. This single-piece garment eliminates traditional cut-and-sew methods, reducing waste and simplifying retail sizing. 

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AT LAST, CASIO UNVEILS FULLY FUNCTIONAL WATCH RING WITH FLASHING LIGHT AND LCD DISPLAY 

Casio introduces the CRW-001-1JR, a fully functional watch ring that features an LCD screen capable of displaying the time, date, dual time zones, and stopwatch functions. It even includes a flashing light feature to alert users when a set timer ends, with the screen faintly pulsing to signal the notification.

This launch coincides with Casio’s 50th anniversary in the watchmaking industry and draws inspiration from a playful 2023 toy version. The CRW-001-1JR showcases Casio’s precision craftsmanship, downsizing a traditional wristwatch to 1/10th of its original size and transforming it into a finger accessory. The ring’s default size is 22, but Casio includes silicone size-adjustment spacers for a comfortable fit. Produced using Metal Injection Molding, the watch ring features an integrated case, back cover, and ring. Its LCD display is topped with durable glass, bonded for waterproof performance, and designed to enable easy battery replacements. The screen can project up to six digits, making it a practical option for frequent travelers with its dual-city time display.

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KAZUYO SEJIMA AND ANREALAGE’S KUNIHIKO MORINAGA UNVEIL INFLATED CELL GARMENTS IN TOKYO 

image courtesy of ANREALAGE

Kazuyo Sejima, co-founder of SANAA, and Kunihiko Morinaga of the fashion brand ANREALAGE have joined forces to present CELL, an exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. The project reimagines clothing as living forms, challenging the boundaries between wearability and architecture. Featuring garments that are constantly inflated by streams of air, the pieces transform into dynamic, bubble-like structures. When the airflow stops, they collapse into lightweight, flowing garments, embodying the concept of movable spaces that exist between clothing and enclosed environments.

Kunihiko Morinaga reflects on the inspiration behind CELL, drawing parallels to hermit crabs that inhabit and outgrow snail shells, questioning whether these shells are spaces or clothing. He describes them as both and neither, existing at the intersection of living and wearing, the ordinary and extraordinary. The exhibition explores the connection between the mansion and its surrounding gardens, with the garments echoing this unity through their interplay of softness and volume. 

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TEAM MONGOLIA’S UNIFORMS FOR PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS PARADE DRAW FROM TRADITIONAL CLOTHING, DEEL 

Team Mongolia’s parade uniforms for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games captivated audiences with their elaborate designs, drawing inspiration from the country’s traditional Deel clothing. Designed by sisters Michel and Amazonka Choigaalaa of the fashion house MICHELAMAZONKA, the uniforms reflect a cultural heritage while embracing contemporary aesthetics. The duo spent three months perfecting the designs, with each set of uniforms requiring an average of 20 hours to produce across six meticulous stages.

For the flag bearers, the designers crafted a sleek, long garment featuring an ornate gold-stitched collar that takes center stage. The athletes’ uniforms feature separate tops and bottoms—trousers for men and skirts for women—paired with vests in Mongolia’s national colors of blue, red, and white. Gold stitching depicts the Olympic torch framed by mountain motifs, symbolizing Mongolia’s natural landscapes and its connection to the Games.

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