Courtney Kilgard is a mom, teacher,musician — and an e-textile designer and creator. “For as long as I remember I have loved experimenting with all things science. I am and have always been creative and especially love creating new uses for objects.” She originally pursued artistry and creativity through music, but “my creativity found a new outlet when I started teaching science in the public schools. I love seeing the ‘Ah Ha!’ moment on students’ faces when they discover something new.”
Bracelet embedded with LEDs
After a while Courtney realized she wanted to experience more of that “Ah Ha!” moment herself, and with the help of colleagues at Techno Chaos began to experiment with a combination of two of her passions: fabric and science/technology. Courtney sees fashion as an expression of individual creativity, and that it’s no longer confined to fabric alone. Her work gives an early and inspiring look at where e-textiles are heading – yes, your clothes in the future will have a lot of active technology in them, some for function, some for artistic effect. “All I needed was a few basic tools and I was off to the races. Just wait until you see what I’ve created.“
Courtney will be presenting a number of her e-textile fashions at the upcoming Houston Mini Maker Faire 2013. Be sure to attend if you’re curious about the exciting things that can be done when you miss with electronics with fashion.
