We’ve seen the solar-paneled mobile phone from HTW. We’ve heard of the solar panel LCD from Motorola. We’ve even heard of solar-powered backpacks. Now, we bring you the Zegna Solar JKT! The Italian fashion-house of Ermenegildo Zegna Holditalia SpA (Zegna) showed off Solar JKT this past Thursday in Florance, Italy. This coat takes fashion to a whole new level – adding a kick of techno-geek-ery with the built-in solar panels. Seriously, we like the way this jacket looks, but that’s coming from a bunch of self-proclaimed geeks.
The 9×5.5 cm silicon-based polycrystalline solar modules are integrated into the jacket’s collar and are capable of converting 1 watt of sunlight. And, since nobody wants to have bulky cords running throughout their clothing, all power is routed through conductive textiles that flex and move with your body. The sun-power can be used to directly charge your device or charge an on-board battery.
The 70x60x13mm, 100g built-in battery can store extra power for later use, or directly charge your mobile phone or iPod in about four hours – but takes from four to eight hours to fully juice-up. A 5-volt USB connection is available to charge your iPod and a 6-volt connection for your mobile phone.
Look for this coat to start shipping in Q2 2008, from Zegna.
We can’t wait to try out this coat. Solar JKT sure has a techno-geek chic look to it, and the integration of the solar panels is perfectly executed. Still, coming from an Italian designer could mean a prohibitively high price tag. We’ll just have to wait and see.
[Via: Yahoo News]