This heated leather jacket charges your phone while adding a fun new challenge at airport security
Bluetooth speakers and German cowhide never looked so good
There’s more than smartwatches and fitness bands at the Wearable Technology Show. There are reasonably good chocolate biscuits in the press lounge, a bionic 3D-printed hand at the Intel stand, and a leather jacket from a company you’ve probably never heard of.
The iilation Jacket, created by Tieemo, looks like any other regular leather jacket at first glance. Its made from soft German cowhide leather, with fine knitted wool cuffs and a fancy tafetta lining. We’re not entirely sure what that last thing is, but it feels nice and sounds expensive.
Send it through an x-ray machine however, and you’ll notice a few rather odd things. For starters, there are thin, flexible rechargeable batteries sewn into the sleeve pockets, which can be used to warm up two independently controlled heating zones for up to six hours.
The upper zone keeps your neck, shoulders and upper back toasty, while a second one ensures your lower back and kidneys are looked after. The women’s version also has heated jacket pockets, leaving people with Y chromosomes no choice but to opt for more primitive methods like gloves, or the warmth of a small fluffy rodent.
Once your back is nicely roasting away, you can top up your smartphone with a little extra juice using a built in charging pocket which supports standrd USB cables. You can even connect to your handset via Bluetooth and make calls via an in-built mic and two Bluetooth speakers integrated into the collar.
Controls are sewn into the left sleeve, and once you’re done talking to your jacket in public, you’re free to blast out some music too.
Prices start from €2690 and can jack up all the way to €4350 for a tailor-made piece in your choice of colour. Joker Purple with a lime green lining for us, please.
Esat Dedezade
Contributor