# Heartbeat Controlled Fashion Butterfly Flap Dress By Bianca | Published 2008-05-23 | Fashion Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/butterfly-flap-dress-heartbeat References: [fashionista](http://fashionista.com/2008/05/beat_of_my_heart.php) & [artandprogram](http://artandprogram.com/butterflydress/butterflymain.php) If you're wearing Alex Reeder's beautiful white **[Butterfly Flap Dress](http://artandprogram.com/butterflydress/butterflymain.php)**, you won't be able to hide the fact your crush gives you major butterflies. The second your heart rate speeds up, so does the pace at which the sensor-controlled butterflies beat their wings. The dress was conceived by Reeder, an NYU grad student who realizes there's a whole new sartorial world that blends fashion and technology. "Technologically keeping everything small: the battery, flapping mechanism, and so on, so they fit into the dress without impacting aesthetics was difficult," Reeder said of the silk organza dress. "Hiding the technology was a must for me, so that means layering fabric to cover the electronics. What fabric has the lightness of a butterfly, is beautiful, and can be layered as well? It took awhile to find what I was looking for." He told [Skepchick.org](http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=1426) his inspiration came from learning about *Despina Papadopoulos* (the softness of things) in NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. "To clarify, I'm not so much interested in 'fashion' (industry/designer to consumer top-down structure) as I am in transforming the clothes we wear, what they mean to us and how they effect our relationships," he says. "My background is in technology, although I have always loved couture." While it sounds outrageous that tiny butterflies on a dress actually flap their wings to the rhythm of your heartbeat, it's actually not the first innovation we've seen that's controlled by the palpitations of your heart. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.9/10 - Popularity: 78% | Activity: 62% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/fashion) > [Hip Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/hipfashion) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Heartbeat-controlled Fashion:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporating sensor technology into clothing to create interactive and personalized fashion experiences. - **Fashion Technology Integration:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Exploring ways to seamlessly integrate technology into fashion designs without compromising aesthetics. - **Emotional Wearables:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creating wearable devices that respond to emotional states and enhance personal connections. ### Who This Affects Most - **Fashion:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Rethinking traditional fashion designs and incorporating technology to create unique and interactive clothing. - **Technology:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Developing advanced sensors, batteries, and flapping mechanisms that can be seamlessly integrated into wearable technology. - **Wearable Technology:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Designing emotional wearables that can monitor and respond to physiological signals to enhance personal experiences. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Dynamic Shape-Shifting Dresses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/primrose-dress.md) - [Heartbeat Rhythmic Smart Lockets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/thetouch.md) - [Heartbeat-Mimicking Jewelry](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/thetouch-locket.md) - [Smart Heart-Shaped Pendants](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bond-heart-necklace.md) - [Wearable Communication Vests](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/inxects-vest.md) - [Biodesign-Backed Dresses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gozen-x-beymen.md) - [Avant-Garde Biomimicry Fashion Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/biomimicry-fashion.md) - [Experimental Programmable Clothing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/programmable-clothing.md) - [AI-Inspired Fantastical Bridal Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fantastical-bridal-collection.md)