Paparazzi Lover (2012)

“Paparazzi Lover” is an interactive, reactive dress that comes to life under the flashlights of paparazzi cameras. Designed as a commentary on the complex, love-hate relationship between public figures and the media, the dress ironically reserves its most dazzling display for the very flashes that symbolise media attention. In the absence of flash photography, the dress remains understated, holding back its brilliance until the spotlight finds it again.

“Paparazzi Lover” highlights the duality of fame: the allure and admiration brought by media attention contrasted with the invasive scrutiny it often entails. This dynamic is embodied through the dress’s design, which only reveals its true beauty in response to the flashes of cameras, reinforcing the interplay between being observed and the act of self-presentation.

Fitted with 62 LED lights, the dress uses sensors to detect camera flashes in real-time. When activated, the LEDs illuminate, charming the surrounding crowd and ensuring the wearer becomes the undoubted focal point. The garment playfully reminds photographers—and by extension, the audience—who the real star of the show is, reclaiming control of the narrative in a sea of flashes.

This piece was created in collaboration with fashion designer Anbasja Blanken. It was conceived and developed for the "Technosensual: Where Fashion Meets Technology" exhibition, curated by visionary designer Anouk Wipprecht in Vienna, Austria, in 2012.