When technology merges with the world of fashion, fashionistas take notice. That’s precisely what Adobe accomplished with Project Primrose, a digital animated dress capable of changing patterns. Since its unveiling at Adobe MAX 2023 in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the dress has become the talk of the town. The dress was created by research scientist Christine Dierk, who dubbed her ingenious creation a ‘digital dress that brings fabric to life.’ Dierk left the world in awe when she flaunted her strapless, knee-length creation comprising of numerous small, scale-like screens.
‘Unlike traditional clothing, which remains static, Primrose allows me to refresh my look in an instant,’ Dierk remarked. She astonished onlookers by changing the dress from cream to metallic silver in an instant. It’s akin to a chameleon changing its color, a shape-shifting snake, or the feats of magicians. Project Primrose encompassed all of these aspects and evoked the same childlike enthusiasm and excitement from the crowds as a sleight of hand.
Dierk stitched the dress herself and made animations possible, enabling a dynamic pattern and instant color changes at the press of a button. ‘Fashion doesn’t have to be static; it can be dynamic and even interactive,’ Dierk emphasized. ‘We’re excited about a future where there are more ways to express yourself.’ Adobe and Christine Dierk confirm that Project Primrose enables users to display content created with Adobe Firefly, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Stock, and Adobe Illustrator on the entire surface of the scaly dress.
According to People, a presentation shared by CNET on TikTok garnered over 10 million views. Puberty’s Instagram account was inundated with comments and received more than 1.5 million likes. One user commented, ‘Primrose!? It’s reminiscent of The Capitol. It’s giving Hunger Games.’
Meanwhile, heatherrelizabethh exclaimed, ‘Yes! Bring on the future.’ Many social media users posed practical questions like, ‘How do you dry clean this? Or do you need to troubleshoot and repair the installation???’ Numerous social media users drew comparisons to the frenzy created by the Twitter dress, a 2015 online viral phenomenon centered around a photograph of a dress. Do you like what you see? Is the future of fashion technical? Or will this die a gimmick’s death?