Ulysses Perry Wong
Renda Pei
Museum of Future Fashion
“Reawaken” is our reimagined future fashion project that have made into prototype is a pair of innovative shoe. As context of the Japanese society, suicide rate increased throughout the 2010s, it stablized in 2018-19 but increased again after the pandemic (nippon.com). The work culture has also been a concern, the problematic involves into the mentality of the common Japanese workers. Despite leave pay is allowed, people feel guilty for taking this advantage therefore refusing to take breaks and continues to work. Another culture is that workers were not allowed to leave until the boss first leaves due to respectful manners. That is the underlying problem with inspiration to this project. For the context of events happened between 2022-2077, there was a flood that devastated the country which caused half of the island to sink. The state of economy collapse, they depended their currency to China to rebuild their country, what is more devastating is that there was a war in the 2060s between Russia, China and USA which crumbled the economy even worse. Afterwards, countries have established a World Wide Currency where the whole world used under one currency. Fast Forward to 2077, Japan has already built a new city on top of Old Tokyo, the economy has improved significantly after the disaster. Even though Japan has limited job opportunities, citizens’ occupation requires Bullet Trains and quicker/convenient transport to neighboring countries to work for the day.
The project, Reawaken, is a quicker convenience to fly to their desired destinations without traffic, the positive outcomes will boost the economy into the correct path. The existence of rocket boots is happening now. The project consists of a hydrogen running fuel rocket from the heel of our shoe. The flying boots were invented by the soviets in the 1960s for the space race. NASA has also been developing the same idea. There are visible signs from the media that influencers have been flying with engines vertically, in low elevation such as boards and jet packs (Guardian News, Take On Gravity). After 50 years of development and testing, today we made it available for the public.
Another component of the shoe have LED screen for entertainment and therapy, this reconnects with the general population in Japan who share an intensive working environment. This leads to employers tired or stressed. With the trust of interaction with AI technology on LED screen that is implanted on the shoe, it helps keeping employees’ morale and get rid of emotional stress. A supporting source from 2010 shows the first e-sneakers made which shows diagrams from the side of the shoe as a flashy design. Apple/Tesla has been the leading technology company that has been creating new innovative devices that everyone enjoys. This year, we introduce electronic monitor installed into sneakers.
Lastly, the color of the shoe is white. The symbolism can be related to light, this is an important statement because it spreads the optimism of the present and the future, and spreads/improves the wellness of people. To add on, this also symbolizes a trust in technology. People despise AI technology which sparks controversies such as if AI has feelings or pop culture such as portrayal of destruction of Terminator. The positive side is that AI can only be programmed for very specific purposes such as emotional support or entertainment. This is why the project is appropriate for LED screens to be installed into shoes.
