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Can Protection Become a Form of Care?
How to stay visible as part of a collective, while still maintaining the right to control what parts of yourself are shared. The goal is not invisibility, it’s informed visibility.
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Can Clothing Protect Dignity and Privacy?
For a long time, clothes have been a way to express who we are.
But as technology has become more embedded in our lives, a quiet shift has taken place now, clothing also defines what we choose to share.
👁️ Every day, our digital traces multiply. Cameras learn our faces. Devices record our locations. Convenience and connectivity have become second nature and with them, exposure. In this new reality, privacy isn’t about hiding. It’s about choosing how to exist on your own terms.
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The Ethics of Visibility
Being seen is no longer just a human experience. Visibility is recorded, measured, and analyzed. The question is not whether technology sees us, but whether it respects consent. Ethical design responds by creating tools that empower without exposing.
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Privacy in Public Spaces
Crowds are expressions of connection and collective action, yet in a connected world, they also expose individuals involuntarily. Demonstrations, festivals, and public gatherings often reveal more than intended through phones, faces, and movement patterns. The challenge is balancing collective presence with control over personal data. Because people have a right to protest peacefully — and states have a duty to respect, facilitate, and protect this right.
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A Vest that Asks a Question
The Privacy Safety Vest was developed to answer one question: can an everyday garment protect data, dignity, and autonomy while remaining functional and familiar? Signal-blocking textiles shield location information, while an adaptable surface layer confuses automated facial recognition systems. Lightweight and designed for movement, the vest integrates seamlessly into public life.
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Democratizing Protection
Privacy should not be a privilege. Materials are simple, construction intuitive, and affordability central to the design. Protection becomes accessible, practical, and part of everyday interaction. Ethical technology does not need to be digital, it can be woven, stitched, and worn.
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A New Kind of Transparency
The vest is more than a tool, it is a gesture. It demonstrates that innovation can protect as much as it can reveal. Boundaries, human rights, and privacy can coexist with public presence, and these boundaries can be thoughtfully, beautifully designed.
Credits:
Anna Bazzo / Asja Borsella / Maria D’Anniballe / Negar Malayeri / Anna
Löffelhardt / Isabella Veiga Morae
The project was realized as part of the Fashion Craft course within the Master’s Degree in Design for the Fashion System at Polimi
