IDEO: Levi’s Commuter Jacket with Jacquard
The problem today with commuting is safety. What do you do when you have to use your phone to navigate but are crossing busy intersections? IDEO participated in a three-company collaboration with Google and Levi’s. The production of this stylish jacket was meant to solve a navigator’s problems with common issues of daily travel. A snap-tag is attached to the jacket, which is a minuscule, round object meant to be a discrete device. Simple gestures are fed into the Jacquard app. This helps the user with navigation, communication, and music while allowing the commuter to not be distracted by a cellphone. Gadget use during a commute leads to unsafe behavior and has its own design problems that IDEO aims to eliminate. For this project, IDEO focused on the Industrial Design aspects. This includes making the Snap-Tag functional, while also considering the aesthetics. Resulting in this product, which is a tool and a jacket. the product is available for purchase currently. The Jacket controls music, and phone calls, and can give the wearer directions. The simple gestures of the jacket have kept the consumer “on course, in touch, and connected.” In today’s digital age, it is important to design garments that can help the consumer break free from devices and ensure safety for everyone.
https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/sale/mens-sale/outerwear/levis-commuter-x-jacquard-by-google-trucker-jacket/p/286600000
https://www.ideo.com/case-study/designing-the-levis-commuter-trucker-jacket-with-jacquard-by-google
Hi Megan,
This is so cool to hear about! Levi’s are one of the only brand of jeans I own and it is so cool to see how they are impacting the world not just through clothes and their design but through technology as well. This product seems like such an amazing concept that will help others be more present in the world and see all the wonderful art others are out making in the world every day!
It’s interesting to see the combination of design and tech here! I would have never have thought of this concept myself. I think the design of the tag is impressive. I imagine the designers had to get very creative with this one, because they have to take into account the technology and what design will look visually appealing while still remaining functional. Since the tag is on a jacket, you could likely conceal the tag if you wished by cuffing the sleeves. Although I do wonder: why not create a tag that can attach to any jacket? It seems to me that it is a smart tag on a regular jacket. In this way I think the tag could stand on its own since there may not be much tying it in to the jacket as a complete design. I think it opens a whole new door of possibilities, though. Imagine different colored tags that can be attached to any of the wearer’s jackets. Maybe this could help the technology capture the interest of even more people?