Levi’s & Google Set to Release $350 Smart Denim Jacket Later This Year

As futuristic as it sounds, we all knew that the day would come when all of our ‘smart’ wearables are embedded into … well, the things that we’re already wearing.

While MIT students and various tinkerers have been experimenting with ‘smart’ fabrics for years now, few concepts have been viable enough to bubble up to the surface as a go-to-market product.

Thanks to a recent partnership between Levi’s and Google, however, the days of swiping our sleeves to change Spotify tracks or activate a bike signal are now here in the form of … yep, a denim jacket.

Built using ATAP’s Project Jacquard technology, the connected denim smart jacket uses conductive fabric to send signals to a connected phone or tablet – similar to a swipe or a tap.

According to ATAP, the digital connectivity is provided through a smart tag (located at the wrist) that houses all the necessary electronics, and apart from this detachable tag, the whole interactive garment is washable and durable like regular denim.

While the jacket has been in the works for months now, it’s finally going to go on sale later this year at a retail price of $350. Sure—that might be more than your typical run-of-the-mill denim jacket, but can yours change the track from “Enter Sandman” to “Bat Out of Hell” with a quick swipe of the sleeve?

Find out more about the jacket and the design process over at Project Jacquard.