Bronze Fashion and Travel Accessories Design · 2020
Luminare Women's Evening Handbag
by Aslaen Vaugn
- A' Design Award 2020 Bronze Winner in Fashion and Travel Accessories Design
- Awarded April 15, 2020
- CLIENT: Aslaen Vaugn
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 24,550
- Verification code 5862A9C99E · Verify this award
About Luminare Women's Evening Handbag
Luminare is an evening handbag for women. The leather body is handmade in Italy, while the electronics are designed and assembled in San Francisco. The front panel holds a thin light box that makes interchangeable artwork glow softly from within. A single button on the back controls power and dimming, and a magnetic port allows recharging. The internal rechargeable battery lasts up to twelve hours and can also charge a mobile phone. The design joins art, fashion and electronics in one unified object.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Victorian Era inspired evening purse that subtly glows from within through artwork, evoking a return of Art Nouveau backlit works like Tiffany's stained glass pieces or Paris Metro entrances. Artwork series include NASA, The Masters and Charlotte Gibb. The purse is handmade of leather in Italy, the artwork is developed in NYC and the electronics are designed and built in San Francisco. Luminare is the first fashion accessory to successfully blend technology into fashion seamlessly.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 8 inches in diameter by 3.25 inches deep. Black leather exterior, with backlit images on front of handbag. Single metal push-button switch controls all functions: on / off / dimming / demo. Charger is attached by magnetic coupling, similar to an iMac charger coupling. It has a universal phone charger inside. The tail of this can be seen on the "Luminare-interior" image.
Images are easily replaceable with others in the series. For an additional charge, we can produce a custom image. - Tags
- evening womens handbag electronic artwork
- Production Technology
- The concept was to create a new artistic approach to fashion that incorporates fashion and modern electronics in a single, unified work. Most electronic fashion to date has been blinky, tacky and forced together inelegantly.
- Design Challenge
- There is great promise in incorporating technology into fashion. Unfortunately, most attempts to date have been clumsy and uninspired. A notable exception being Luminex (RIP).
The challenge was to try to use electronics to gain an artistic effect rather than trying to use electronics in art. The hope is to create a new form of art that is only possible with the assistance of electronics. We are targeting a more holistic approach to using electronics in fashion. - Project Duration
- In an around San Francisco, California 2007 through present
Near Modena, Italy Fall 2019 to winter 2019 - Operation Flow
- Luminare has an art light box on one side that is dimmable and makes interchangeable artwork glow subtly from within. Light and other functions of the handbag are controlled with a single button on the back side, just above the magnetic charging port. Self contained rechargeable battery lasts up to 12 hours and can recharge user's cell phone while out and about.
- Research
- Inn designing this project, the first thing needed was a versatile, efficient, thin, even light source. A few options were tried and our light panels were most ideal, giving a wide range of brightness with very even, neutral lighting. Other forms of light consumed more electricity and had a smaller range of brightness options with a more restrictive
- Inspiration
- Originally given as a Christmas gift to the mother of my children, Aslaen and Vaugn. Since that first handbag in 2007, I have been refining the handbag and giving out as gifts to others. This summer I finally made a business out of it.
- Patents
- US Patent Pending # 16/704,919