I always love following Japanese culture and inventions, mainly because everyone seems on a mission to outdo one another in terms of craziness and often impracticality. A wonderful entry in the their weird world of wacky comes from Ms Tsukioka, a 29 year old ‘experimental’ fashion designer who proposes that women alone could walk in greater safety by disguising themselves as vending machines (which in case you didn’t know, almost outnumber the amount of people in Japan, selling everything from coffee to used panties).
On the inside of the woman’s skirt is a large sheet of cloth, printed with an actual-size photo of a vending machine, which can then be lifted up and held in front of the woman who steps to the side of the road now in complete disguise . In fact, the deluxe version of the designer-wear unfolds from a Kimono, complete with four sides for even greater camouflaging.
You’ve got to wonder about the usefulness of this disguise in daylight, but for night time it would be perfect for avoiding creepy old men – unless of course the wearer got a terrible nipple stand and the creepy old man presses the button for a drink.
I’m thinking that while the design won’t catch on in South Africa, the concept may just very well. Just imagine a group of four women magically transformed into a linen taxi bus! – The perfect disguise!
For those of you out there who can’t spot the disguise amongst the real deals, here’s a hint – it is the one with the shoes sticking out at the bottom :P