Happy Anniversary…Laser!

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30

Lasers are inevitably connected in the mind of many of us with sci-fi novels and films.

Yet, since Theodore Maiman ignited the first laser flash in May 1960 and laser pioneer Charles Townes received the Nobel Prize four years later, laser technology turned into a reality, bringing innovation and progress into different fields and becoming a part of our everyday lives.

We indeed employ laser for applications from the storage and transmission of data to advanced medicine, thermonuclear fusion, holography and even fashion, a field in which laser-cutting technology has allowed designers, among them also Zac Posen and Michael Angel, to create intricate patterns in fabrics as different as leather and neoprene.

One of the latest designers to turn to this technology was Christopher Kane who included in his Spring/Summer 2011 collection (more about it later on...) also some vinyl coated laser cut leather suits in neon colours.

Lasers allowed designers to experiment widely, creating technologically advanced showpieces: we all have fond memories of Hussein Chalayan's laser dresses from his Spring/Summer 2008 "Readings" collection that sent out beams of lights thanks to custom made brass hinges that moved by small servo motors (I'm republishing at the end of this post a video on the making of the dresses and one of the designs in action).

In the last few years quite a few designers and artists have been developing projects with lasers and the human body, among them also Australian Danielle Wilde who has focused her work on the possibilities offered by dynamically extending the body with light.

2010 is the International Year of the Laser and, if you want to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this technology and you happen to be in Scotland, head tomorrow (at 7:30 p.m.) to the Fraser Noble Build of the local university where Professor John Watson will be speaking about the new developments and applications of the laser in science, industry, commerce and our everyday lives.

Yes, I know, some of us are pretty busy with the various fashion weeks, but, I'm sure that, if you are a fashion designer, a mind-expanding lesson on lasers will provide some interesting inspirations for your collections.