It’s New York Fashion Week. And while the jury is still out on whether or not the catwalks are illuminated with energy efficient LED lights (I sure hope they are), I did stumble across one extremely cool brand of “haute tech” from Berlin during my research. A collaboration between two fashion designers, Brigitte Franken and Christian Bruns, and two engineers, Christian Dils and Manuel Seckel, the collection of chic, ephemeral garments is the first line of consumer ready, LED-outfitted apparel. Sure, we’ve seen the likes of Rihanna, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga lit up in RGB LEDs before, but reportedly, those outfits are difficult to wear, impossible to wash and only last for an hour or two. Moon Berlin, on the other hand, creates items that are washable, that hold a charge for up to 8 hours, and effortlessly conceal a battery with the unassuming size, weight and shape a credit card.

The New York Times writes, “The Moon Berlin garments feature tiny LED, or light-emitting diode, bulbs. They are attached to an electrical circuit imprinted on a soft, rubbery material that can be added directly to fabric or placed between a garment’s main material and its lining. While the arrangement may sound cumbersome, the circuits are so flexible they can even be attached to silk, chiffon and satin, the engineers say.”

Flexible LED lights are incorporated into the fabric in a way that is more subtle and shimmery than it is costumey. Some of the LED lights sparkle thanks to a motion sensor, and others dim or brighten according to ambient light levels.   Moon Berlin’s 23-piece collection premiered at Berlin’s Fashion Week in January, and hopefully it’ll make the runways shine in New York this week too.

Thanks to Moon Berlin and the NY Times for the images.