If you’re looking to hide, you might want to stay away from Mountain Dew’s techie take on “camouflage.”
After teaming up with street-wear brand VFiles, Mountain Dew is introducing Camo Out, a flashy wearable tech collection that includes everything from parkas with built-in speakers to hats with cameras. And you can try it on as part of an immersive augmented-reality experience, which debuts this weekend at Complex Con in Long Beach, CA.
Attendees will be able to see how Mountain Dew’s new threads look on them by stepping into the CamoFlector, an interactive experience that superimposes the clothes on top of viewers with augmented reality — no changing room needed. CamoFlector participants will also be part of a special music video later on.
Parkas bathed in Mountain Dew’s signature green and white camouflage colors have Bluetooth-enabled speakers resting in the hoodie. The Earbud Tracksuit, just as the name implies, is a nylon suit with a pair of earbuds built into the sleeve and leg piping details. Both are made of water and windproof nylon, so they’ll also help keep you dry in inclement weather.
The black Snap-Cam Tech Cap hides a camera with a barely noticeable lens, which connects wirelessly to your phone. The camera shoots in 720p resolution and comes with 8GB of storage built-in. The Solar Powered Backpack charges a built-in battery while in the sunshine, and stores the energy so you can charge your devices on demand via a USB port.
Mountain Dew and VFiles only started collaborating in late August, and designers “rushed to have some stuff to show at Fashion Week in September,” Julie Anne Quay, founder of VFiles, told Digital Trends. However, most of the pieces appearing at New York Fashion Week did not have the wearable technology, so Complex Con will be the first showing of the completed collection.
Mountain Dew’s venture into wearable tech may appear incongruous with a soft drink company’s intentions until you realize that the brand has been easing its way into emerging tech throughout 2016. VFiles teamed with Mountain Dew as part of PepsiCo Creator, an arm of the soft-drink giant that markets Pepsi brands by mashing them with cutting edge cultural experiences. Pepsi Co Creator was also behind Mountain Dew’s NBA All Star Weekend installation,which had NBA stars like Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook painting in virtual reality using Google’s Tilt Brush in February.
Carlos Saavedra, Pepsi Co North America’s senior director of culture marketing and innovation, told Digital Trends that “the collection will continue to evolve over 2017.”
Those future additions to the collection are already in the concept stages, Quay revealed to Digital Trends, adding that the next iteration could include microchips and chargeable lining.
“What we’re seeing right now, is very much a teaser,” Quay said. “Anyone will tell you developing wearable technology in a period of two months in a fashion collection is literally like record time. Most people take two years to to do that.”
Except for the parka, the collection will be available on November 5 at The Camo Collective at Complex Con, at the VFiles online store, and the VFiles store on 12 Mercer Street in New York City’s trendy SoHo neighborhood. The items will range from $50 to 400 for outerwear, with a 15 percent discount given to anyone who attends The Camo Collective installation. The parka will be available at a later date, but in time for the holidays.
