trikoton

This Berlin based label has created a smart system that allows buyers to take part in the design of nice design products. They hacked a knitting machine from the 70's which had a speech recognition device to create this interactive process:
“the frequency band of a spoken message is converted into a binary code for knitting patterns. [...] this online based process makes it possible to transfer a personal and unique spoken message into a fashion piece.”

You visit their website and first you choose a design and a color. They you create a knitting pattern: you the website accessing your computer's microphone and register a message, or sound. For the example below, it is the music that was playing in my workshop that has been recorded. Almost instantly, a binary code is generated of the record and show you the created pattern.


They are selling quality products, with a nice color chart and an intersting collection of basic garments. But I think that the most interesting aspect of the project is the fact that the interaction is so personal. You can record a message that only you will feel and remember when you will wear the knitted piece. It is an intimate souvenir, something that you want to carry with you without necessarily sharing it. I enjoy this idea of the secret coded message, carried around with you and taken care of on a daily basis.