STEM Spotlight: Sophy Wong
You can't talk about wearable tech and digital fabrication without the name Sophy Wong coming to mind. Sophy's a designer, maker, writer, speaker, and all around technological badass. Her creations are out-of-this world (check out this space suit!) and have been featured by Adam Savage's Tested, Hackster.io, and more. She's the author of the rad book Wearable tech Projects, published by HackSpace. Sophy is constantly innovating, and one of her recent projects is a forehead add-on for face shields to protect against COVID-19. We can't wait to see what Sophy makes next!
Where does your interest in design come from?
I love design because it’s a powerful, universal tool, and there’s so much more to design than just the way something looks. Design is a way of thinking that can be applied to anything you want to do. I studied graphic design in college, and although that is a specific application of design, the concepts I learned translate to everything I do now. Whether I’m building a mask with LEDs in it, or writing an article, I use design.
How would you describe the aesthetic of your jewelry line and your fashion design?
I’m always inspired by the visual language that’s developed around science fiction, and my work usually draws from that aesthetic. I often use clean geometric shapes and I’ll usually restrict my designs to just a few colors or materials.
What was the first costume you made? Where did you wear it to?
The first very elaborate costume I made was my Marie Antoinette costume, which consists of a robe á la française and a wig that I styled and decorated. I wore it to a Labyrinth-themed masquerade ball at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. It took me about two months to make the dress, and it was my first big project that I patterned completely from scratch. It was a ton of work, and I loved every minute, even the very difficult parts.
What is some of your favorite wearable tech in movies/TV/books/et cetera?
I love all of Shuri’s wearable tech in Black Panther, especially her gauntlets! Another one of my favorites is the Stillsuit from Dune (1984). I love that it looks technical, but also biological. I’m always geeking out on movie spacesuits, and I particularly love the newer ones designed by Janty Yates for The Martian and Prometheus. I’m also a huge fan of the Japanese pop group, Perfume. Their live shows and music videos feature innovative integrations of wearable tech like projection mapped dresses that use servos to fold and unfold like origami.
If you were a superhero, what would your go-to wearable tech device be?
My device would be a headset with an AR heads up display, and an integrated AI assistant, like KITT from Knight Rider. I’d trick it out with sensors and scanners for collecting data from my surroundings, and connect it to a full body suit with chromatic camouflage for blending in like a chameleon. Maybe one day I’ll be able to build that!
To learn more about Sophy Wong and her creations, visit her website and be sure follow Sophy on Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, and Twitter.
Editor's Note: Sophy's full interview was originally published May 29, 2018. You can read it here.