Revolutionary Condom Brand Collabs With Pauline van Dongen

With the lead up to the Olympics, innovative fashion designer Pauline Van Dongen and Skyn are taking performance wear to another level.

Dutch designer Pauline van Dongen has collaborated with Skyn, a brand known for revolutionizing the condom industry with their ultra-soft and thin polyisoprene material. Together they have taken SKYNFEEL™ “out of the bedroom and onto the running track”

Dutch designer Pauline van Dongen
Dutch designer Pauline van Dongen

Experimenting in performance apparel, Skyn and van Dongen’s collab is all about the interaction between the body, the material, and the surroundings. They have come up with a concept that demonstrates how the technology behind the malleable polyisoprene has the potential to be applied to other industries. On the Skynfeel material David Chaker, senior global brand director at Skyn Condoms told FORBES: “We knew our Skynfeel condom material was revolutionary in our own industry, but we were curious about what else it could do. So we looked to the world of performance athletics and decided to conduct an experiment in apparel. We wanted to allow ourselves to think differently, outside of our own condom box.”

pauline-van-dongen-skyn-feel-apparel-catalogodiseno-3

Showing off cutting edge design and inspiration, van Dongen revealed the challenges she faced in an interview with Rachel Arthur, “It took quite some experimentation to develop an approach that suited our concept. We tried many techniques and were constantly refining our skills throughout the process. We also did a lot of experiments placing the material with its flaps on the body, to see how it behaved in motion and if, from the perspective of aerodynamics, the flaps would open in the right direction.”

Taking pleasure from the opportunity to study the behavior of the materials, van Dongen was able to push Skynfeel’s limits by manipulating and guiding its unique properties. By daring to push the boundaries, she got the best out of the material which she designed into a long jump suit. Designed with the objective to show expressive motion during the jump, they integrated a geometric structure in the polyisoprene and created an upward lift that would help the athlete to stay in the air a little longer. By combining functionality and performance, the concept brags the ability to be worn like a second skin. Still considered an experimental and speculative project, the concept piece will not be developed into a marketable viable product, yet.

Share Your Tips & Corrections

Founding Editor in Chief at FashNerd.com | editor@fashnerd.com | Website

Founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, Muchaneta is currently one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and wearable technology. She has also given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, to name a few. Besides working as a fashion innovation consultant for various fashion companies like LVMH Atelier, Muchaneta has also contributed to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.

SOURCEVideo Credit: Dezeen