Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
X

Solar power struts its stuff on the runway

Zegna builds panels into the collar of its new jacket.

prlyama.jpg
prlyama.jpg
Mike Yamamoto Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Mike Yamamoto is an executive editor for CNET News.com.
Mike Yamamoto
Gizmodo

Thank goodness for Ermenegildo Zegna. We shudder to think what the convergence of clothing and technology would wreak without some Italian fashion sense.

Zegna, one of the earlier designers to embrace the concept with its iPod jacket, is now incorporating alternative energy into its apparel with its "ZegnaSport Solar JKT," a coat that has a solar panel sewn into its collar. Gizmodo says it can charge a battery in eight hours, but it's the discreet design that we appreciate most.

Why do we care? Because without such aesthetic sensibilities, we might all end up wearing solar fan hats.