Google and Levi’s will host a party at SXSW to celebrate Project Jacquard

It’s that time of the year again: SXSW in Austin, TX. It’s about music (and that was the biggest part for my teenage self), it’s about media, and it’s about technology. Well, Google and Levi’s are hosting a party featuring LCD Soundsystem among others to celebrate the Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket with Google’s Jacquard technology.

In case you don’t know what Project Jacquard is, it’s Google’s vision of what clothes and furniture might look like in the future. It essentially uses specially-designed electronics such as touch or gesture panels, which are embedded into interactive, conductive textiles. Though it’s still at a nascent stage, it gives us a glimpse of what connected clothing might look like.

Now, Google has teamed up with Levi’s to bring the first batch of interactive Jacquard garments to consumers, and that’s how Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket was born. As you can see in the video above, the jacket lets you control essential functions without you having to take out your phone, which becomes particularly handy in a situation like this. As Google explains:

We integrated Jacquard technology into The Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket designed specifically for urban bike commuters. Jacquard allows wearers to control their mobile experience and connect to a variety of services, such as music or maps, directly from the jacket. This is especially useful when it might be difficult to use the smart phone, like when you are riding on your bike.

Now, to celebrate their partnership and the Commuter Trucker Jacket, the two companies will be throwing a party at SXSW this weekend. Featuring DJ sets by Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem and Neon Indian, it looks like it’s going to be pretty lit. Google has said before that this jacket would be commercially available in the spring of 2017, so here’s hoping that they reveal more information about that at this party.

Will you be attending SXSW this weekend? Excited for Project Jacquard? Let us know by leaving a comment below!