By: Alexis Guerra

Like of the Week: Thrive: Where Fashion & Technology Meet

When it comes to Fashion, a multitude of mediums have been used to create stylistic art. Everything from food to raw meat, (a sarcastic thanks to Gaga for that one! Which you can read about in a previous post under “Dislike of the Week“) and now you can add both wood and metals to that list.

Not only is Thrive’s tech-savvy Spring & Summer Collection, creatively titled, Bits and Bytes, comprised of futuristic, bold and eye-catching accessories and clothing made from unlikely materials, but the collection is also a metaphorical representation which focuses on some of the building blocks of digital advancement in technology.

Featuring binary coded numbers, wooden panels, graphic patterns, intricate shapes and metallic gathered fabrics, there are a variety of styles created that are not only unique but have a modern elegance to them. The result is a look that’s sleek, modern and 100% hi-tech.

It was under the creative direction of Cem Cako (who studied in Antwerp under Belgium influences) that both Rob Meadows and Ali Shahriyari, two technological designers, founded Thrive in the hopes of blending fashion with software technology in a way that was both thought provoking and imaginative.

Also, now based on the interest and buzz it’s created, Thrive will now be expanding on their Parisian line of dresses and accessories to other items such as trenches, skirts, jackets and tops. By collaborating with Cako’s Belgian aesthetic design and European aesthetics and also making it marketable for to a wide range of Fashionistas (Rob and Cem are aiming for a line that meets the approval of both European and American culture ) from all over. If that’s the case, then it appears Thrive is, well, thriving and well on it’s way!

To read more on this contemporary and cutting edge collection see an exclusive interview with the masterminds here.

Dislike of the Week: Clap if you want the Girls to Come Out! (Or, the Clap-Off Bra?)

File this under Bizarre! Okay, I can definitely see the appeal from the P.O.V. of males who tend to see brassieres as some sort of alien contraption whose clasps and claws are only created to befuddle and mystify much of mankind, but this borders on just damn lazy!

Syrian Lingerie has one-upped most of technology with Randy Sarafan’s latest creation craze- the “Clap-Off” Bra! Showing us that the Arab culture is not nearly as sexually repressed as many might believe, he’s even created a step-by-step guide on how to make your very own Clap Off bra.

Now, I’m all for the divine intervention of making bras easier to unhook themselves, but here’s my current conundrum regarding this product, aside from the boudoir…where are you supposed to wear this unpractical device?

Don’t even get me started! What happens if you go to see a loud and raucous concert? People are constantly banging their hands together during a live music event! Obviously this undergarment cannot be worn in the presence of the “Clapper” light switch, so nix any trips to Grandma’s while wearing this baby! SPEAKING OF BABIES, baby-sitting children under the age of 2 years, or any kids for that matter who are in those formative stages where clapping is a common act is also out of the question (unless you’re also willing to give a small lecture on human anatomy). Cross tennis matches and golfing outings off your list, those are a no-no (c’mon, isn’t that where “polite claps” were invented?). You also might want to keep this under wraps when around any immature men (aka, male teenagers, your own male inner posse, creepy Uncles, etc.) According to Sarafan, two claps and that snap will trip itself faster than a switch on speed so choose your whereabouts wisely!

We obviously know who this product is catered to…and my response is this: Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh, thanks but I think I’m good…

Check out the “magic” here. (Mildly NSFW)