Lisa Lang
Lisa Lang is a tech entrepreneur from Germany, specializing in fashion incorporating light-emitting diodes and other technology.[1] She is the founder of ElektroCouture and ThePowerHouse. In 2018, Forbes named Lang one of the Top 50 European Women In Tech.[2][3]
Career[edit]
Lang moved to Australia, where some members of her family lived, to study software engineering in Melbourne and began work in the tech and start-up industry there. In 2007, she presented a ten-part series on Special Broadcasting Service Radio called "Internet für Anfänger" in which she explained how to use various social media tools to German-speaking listeners.[4] In 2011 she returned to Germany.[5][6] Lang worked at Twilio[6] as a European Marketing Manager where she built her first "textable" smart denim jacket.[1]. The jacket has light-emitting diodes which change colors according to what is texted to them, making it easy for users to change the design without having to know how to code.[2] In 2014, she launched ElektroCouture, a fashion-tech company based in Berlin.[6] She said as a woman, she was frustrated with the traditional t-shirts and jeans worn by many tech workers and wanted more colorful, high-tech and fashionable women's clothing and jewelry to wear.[7]
Between 2014 and 2017, Lang diversified into events, investing and brand consultancy. Different fashion companies come to her to integrate their fashion with technology, and she had to learn different methods of using small components, circuits and batteries to enable the fashion companies to bring their ideas to concretion.[8] In 2017, Lang launched ThePowerHouse[9], which includes a research facility, a space for designers and an academy for fashion tech workshops, developing tech products for fashion clients and running courses for students.[10]. Lang compares the designs and fabrics created by her company to couture, as the lights, batteries and microchips must be sewn on by hand; no process currently exists to create fabric with these items already included.[7]
Lang was invited to present fashions from ElektroCouture on the runway at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2016. Designs included glow-in-the-dark and electrically lit dresses, skirts, slacks, suits and gowns[11] and clothes that react to sound or the wearer's movements,[12] made with LED lights and equaliser bars, motion sensors and sustainable materials.[12][13] All of the items in the collection displayed were rechargeable. She also showed yoga pants that heat the body at certain chakra points as the user's body warms up that were to debut at Berlin Fashion Week in July of that year.[14]
Even though the garments have electrical components and pieces created by 3D printers, they are machine washable and flexible. Lang feels that the garments help people who are generally afraid of technology feel like they are more in control, and thereby become more at ease with technology overall as they use the items. Garments can retail for 10,000 Euros or more.[15]
In 2017, she was a panelist at South by Southwest discussing "Fashion Hardware on the Cutting Edge of Innovation".[16]
Lang's companies serve clients from around the world, such as Lufthansa, IBM, Intel,[17] Siemens, Deutsche Telekom,[10] and the German government. In 2018, Lang was one of three nominees for the European CEO of the year award.[18]
Collections[edit]
The company's first creation was a glowing blue LED necklace[6] named "Frozen" inspired by a 1920s Cartier collection. Lang created it by laser-cutting reflective acrylic and adding a circuit in the wire connecting the necklace. When the wire is connected, the necklace activates the LEDs.
A collaboration with New York-based jewelry designer Laura Wass resulted in the creation of a necklace with a microchip incorporating Bluetooth and a wireless charging station, and can change colors as the wearer changes the cardinal direction they are moving in. The colors represent the elements of earth, fire, air, and water.[19][5][8]
In 2017, Swarovski commissioned a $60,000 Art Deco-styled dress from ElektroCouture in the style of her famous daringly sheer "nude dress" to honor Marlene Dietrich 25 years after her death. It contains 2,000 crystals in addition to 150 LED lights.[10] Lang said that the dress was inspired by electrical diagrams and correspondence that took place between the actress and fashion designer Jean Louis in 1958. "She wanted a dress that glows, she wanted to be able to control it herself from the stage and she knew she could have died of an electric stroke had it ever been realized." The dress created by Lang's company was featured in French-German broadcaster Arte’s documentary “Das letzte Kleid der Marlene Dietrich” ("The Last Dress of Marlene Dietrich").[20]
Affiliations[edit]
Lang is a mentor for the Geekettes women's advocacy group in Berlin.[6][21]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Lisa Lang". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Parksepp, Anette (2019-01-29). "Moetehnoloog: kus on uus tõmblukk?! Mood on 30 aastat kohapeal tammunud". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 2019-01-30.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ "The Top 50 Women In Tech 2018". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
- ↑ Froelicher, Christian (2018-05-10). "ElektroCouture in Berlin: Congratulations, Lisa!". SBS.com.au. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Adrian, Stefan (2018-01-17). "Ihre Mode leuchtet: Lisa Lang kombiniert Fashion und Tech". Aiomag.de (in German). Retrieved 2019-01-30.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Richters, Kim (8 May 2015). "Die leuchtende Welt der Lisa Lang". Gründerszene (in German). Retrieved 10 February 2019.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Reddy, T. Krithika (2016-04-01). "Get Set, Glow!". The Hindu. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Carter, Sandy (2016-03-21). "Interview at SXSW with ElektroCouture CEO & Founder Lisa Lang". YouTube. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
- ↑ "About". ThePowerHouse. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Knowles, Kitty (2018-05-01). "ElektroCouture: Inside The Fashion House Behind Swarovski's $60,000 Light-Up Dress". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
- ↑ Choudhury, Tanisha; Vaz, Wyanet; Sinha, Saumya (2016-03-03). "Day 1: Lakmé Fashion Week Summer Resort 2016". Verve. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Bundhun, Rebecca (3 April 2016). "The highlights from Lakmé Fashion Week 2016". The National. Abu Dhabi, UAE. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ↑ Sharma, Kaustubha (2016-03-31). "The Future Of Fashion - Elektrocouture & Friends, LFW Summer Resort 2016". BoldSky.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
- ↑ Saini, Mayu (2016-04-11). "Lakme Fashion Week Emphasizes Technology and Comfort". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
- ↑ "Digital Germany: Smarty pants". Deutsche Welle. 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
- ↑ "SXSW 2017 Schedule". Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ↑ Bock, Pauline (2016-10-06). "Europe's hottest startups 2016: Berlin". Wired UK. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
- ↑ "European Leadership Awards 2018: who are the finalists?". Euronews. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ↑ Sayej, Nadja (2016-08-23). "The Wearable Device That Changes Colors Every Time You Change Direction". Motherboard. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ↑ Tran, Quynh (2017-04-10). "Marlene Dietrich's Fashion Tech Vision". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
- ↑ "Berlin Ambassadors". Geekettes. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
External links[edit]
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