The Unveiling of the Adobe Primrose Dress

By: Christine Yoo

11 / 11 / 23

In recent years, fashion designers have transitioned into using new unconventional forms of fabric to make their signature pieces. Unconventional forms of fabric have been around for many years, but it was seen as more of a DIY project and less of a high-end fashion trend. It was viewed as a way to challenge designers, like Project Runway’s “Unconventional Materials” segment, rather than a tool to improve fashion. However, now it has become a popular way to make a splash on the fashion scene. 

Designers such as Iris Van Herpen, Niccolo Casas, Noa Raviv, and others have been creating unique designs that embody architecture, fashion technology, and other innovative approaches to fashion. In past years, fashion designer Julia Koerner’s work in the film Black Panther made waves by using 3D printing and PA-12, a strong polyamide material that has high accuracy and flexibility. One recent example that I always think of is the iconic spray paint dress that was sprayed on Bella Hadid during the 2022 SS Coperni show. They utilized Fabrican, a liquid spray-on fabric made from polymers and natural/synthetic fibers, that fashion designer Dr. Manel Torres invented. This approach is not new, but due to rising popularity on social media, more companies are trying to break into this trend. 

Adobe has recently made waves in the fashion industry with their latest project, a tech-infused cocktail dress called Project Primrose. During the Adobe MAX 2023 conference, head researcher Christine Dierk wore the dress to demonstrate its quick-change features with a click of a button. During the demonstration, the dress was able to display multiple different patterns at Christine’s will. Another notable feature was the dress’ ability to display animation and moving patterns. 

To understand the uniqueness of this product, I spent time diving into the technology behind it. The Primrose Program uses a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal, also known as PDLC. A polymer-dispersed liquid crystal is a reflective polymer substance with holes filled with liquid crystals. In other words, a synthetic version of “putting jelly into a donut” but injecting it 100 more times. This material is not typically used in fashion but in Smart Windows applications. However, the process of incorporating this technology into fabric is surprisingly simple. The PDLC is cut into whatever shape the designer wants and then sewn onto a finished silhouette. The Primrose Program has already shown its success with this material by creating a handbag and canvas bag the previous year. 

There are a few qualms that come to my mind when reading and watching about this dress. First, the recent trend on TikTok is not to praise this dress but to mock it. There are several videos on TikTok that take Christine Dierk’s demonstration and bash it, debunk its innovative nature, or turn it into a Subway Surfers/Reddit Story gameplay. If this idea wants to gain traction, the marketing team needs to find a way to spin this in the future. The next question that comes to mind is the issue of functionality. How will this dress handle a washing machine? How much will people be charged to get this item? Will this item be available to the general public, or will it be a collection piece for high-class buyers to display? Another issue I could seriously think of is that a cocktail dress is not as fun to wear as other staple item pieces. If I could choose, a graphic tee or a maxi skirt would be my first choice and is closer to the fashion trends that are popular right now. Even as simple as a dress with a slit near the thigh would create a more flattering silhouette than a plain strapless dress. 

Without the team addressing concerns that arise with their product, they will not have a supportive consumer base to sell to. Adobe still has a long way to go if they want to think about their future with Primrose. However, if the clothing line is expanded even further, it can be a serious contender in helping diminish the fast-fashion waste that occurs in the industry. The demonstration of this tech-forward dress has at least shown that the fashion industry can take the right step to foster innovation.