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It suddenly occurred to me just how far shirts have come since the nightmares from the 80’s–just how much innovation has been packed into one simple shirt!
So, I figured that “shirts” would be a good subject to address–to ideate about.
Let’s see if we can come up with some cool ideas for novel shirts (it’s a pity I’m not a seamstress!).
Here are some first thoughts:
- A shirt that’s made entirely of pockets – stitched one next to the other, the pockets are the shirt.
- A patchwork zip-shirt – the shirt is made of many different patches, each attached to its neighbors by a zipper. Each time you wear the shirt, you can choose which parts to wear and which to remove (sleeveless, one-sleeved, mid-drift, collarless, etc.). The opportunities are endless!
- A shirt made from multiple, thin layers – ideal for cold climates when layers are a must!
- A four-sided shirt that can be worn from all its sides – each side has an opening that can be closed when necessary.
- A shirt with a built-in necklace.
- A shirt with several sleeve options that can be swapped to fit a specific mood or pants color.
Now it’s your turn to come up with some new shirt ideas.
Just in case you’re too shy to start, here is a little help to jumpstart your idea-generation process:
One of the SIT Tools that can help us to come up with new ideas is called “Multiplication.”
- We begin by thinking of the components of the product, which in our case is a shirt. So we have:
Collar
Sleeves
Fabric
Pockets
Folds
Etc. - Make one or more copies of one of the components and add it to the existing product. For example, a shirt with 2 sets of sleeves.
- Change something in the copy that you added: make it a different color, size, fabric, etc.
- Think of the possible benefits of this strange thing you’ve created. For example, a shirt with wide, elegant sleeves for the evening, and narrow sleeves for the day. Or, a shirt with short sleeves for when it’s hot and long sleeves for when it’s cold.
Now you don’t have any excuses — where are the ideas?
Don’t worry what you will do with your innovative shirt ideas! The purpose of this exercise is to help your brain think differently, a skill that is applicable to your idea generation process in other areas, too [Really, I promise!].
Interesting.
Some ideas:
1. A post-modern shirt - simply a white t-shirt, but its meaning or message is created by whomever sees it.
2. A chameleon shirt that changes colour or pattern according to a factor such as temperature, application of an electric current or humidity. This kind of thing was quite popular in the late ’80s, when thermo-sensitive fabrics began to be commercialised.
3. An anti-radiation shirt that includes a fine mesh of EMF-blocking filaments. Could be demand for that with the current controversy around cellular and other sources of RF / EMF radiation.
4. Velcro might be more comfortable and more feasible economically than zippers to allow sleeves, collars, pockets etc to be switched / removed.
5. A shirt that allows temporary markings with washable ink - wash it and you have a blank canvas to start over on for your unique, customised design or message of the day.
6. A shirt with fridge-magnet-poetry type words / symbols that can be stuck on and removed (velcro or similar material) - infinitely many combinations and configurations. Could include emoticons such as smileys etc.
7. A shirt with an LC or similar display (is this technically and economically feasible) sewn into the fabric, that can be programmed to display anything… interesting commercial applications.
8. An edible shirt? Rice-paper?
Hmmm… enough for now,
AJ
What else could be said?
1) A shrinkable / expandable shirt (with zippers) so we could use it with weight fluctuations over time.
2) A shirt with a reflective additional neck in case we have a winter outdoor evening party in the mountain (pretty sophisticated, huh?)
3) A shirt with a corporate logo, with a RFID embedded in one button for using instead of conferences badges, for make it easier the conference check in process. Also for private events / parties.
4) A shirt with moveable buttons (velcro?) so we can scratch our pot bellies without wrinkling the shirt fabric (some humor is always welcome)
5) A shirt with a feather weight anti bullet fabric chest add on.
Cheers!
Fabian.
A few additions:
1. A shirt with a slow-release deodorant in the armpits
2. A shirt for trips in tropical areas with a mosquito repellant
3. A “sun protection shirt” with a sensor that changes its color when the sun’s uv radiation level is dangerous (the same idea can be used for a shirt that warns us when air pollution levels are too high).
4. A shirt that “grows” with the baby (using velcro, snaps, etc.).
5. A “diagnostic shirt” with an inflatable sleeve to measure blood pressure or pulse (it is possible to add other diagnostic tests as well, such as testing of the sweat composition, ph, etc.).
1. A shirt with two tails; one to tuck in to keep the shirt in place, while the other hangs out to be cool and casual looking.
2. A shirt with three collars; one for a tie, one tie flip up around your neck, and one to keep open
3. A shirt with two button holes per button; extra button hole for attaching a tie (to keep it from flopping around), to attach a PDA or Ipod headphone, or to attach a pen/pencil during meetings.
You shop too much!
Wow! Great ideas! I wonder, is it possible to open a T-shirts start-up?
I thought about it and it seems that this interaction looks very similar to what often happened in ideation sessions:
1. Participants are inspired by each other
2. The thinking tools act as catalyst that stimulates idea generation
3. When people recognize some pattern that works (e.g. shirt that can be changed based on something in the environment) they will continue in this path, to explore more interesting options.
And one another interesting observation I think we can find here, is the way ideas are clustered:
1. Ideas that add applications or new features to the product
2. Ideas that customize the product and adjust it to different customers (according to age, gender, needs, usages and more)
3. Ideas that improve the relationship between the product and its environment
4. Ideas that create some changes in the product based on something in the product environment
5. Ideas that change the typical usage of the original product
Can you find additional types of clusters?
And Drew, it’s not that I shop too much, I’m just keeping my grandma’s instructions: there are 3 things I should always keep doing: things that make me think, things that keep me healthy and things that make me smile
And I always act as I have been told to
By infusing the solution, it is going to penetrate deeper than if utilized manually for 2 factors; the very first is due to the fact the dead skin may be removed, so item penetration raises, the 2nd is since the vacuum stress operates in reverse to push it in deeper.
Th is is an informative post, thanks quite a bit!