When I’m dressing up to go out, my bag is often the least exciting part of my outfit. I have a classic black clutch that was bought with the sole intention of matching almost anything I would choose to wear and I’ve always been happy with that; I don’t want a ridiculous bag collection that I’d have to dig through every time I wear something different, moving contents between each bag and probably losing my keys in the process. No thank you.
That’s why the CAT Clutch on Kickstarter is so interesting. It’s one bag, but it’s been made endlessly customisable with LED lights that you can control via an app.
The clutch features an LED front display controlled by a Bluetooth enabled app on which you can display pixel art inspired by videogame graphics of the 1980s (which are undeniably making a comeback in gaming, so why not fashion, too?). The bag is assembled by hand from acrylic and is available in gold glitter, white, and blue marble. The blue marble option is probably the most classic looking and easily matchable.
image via Facebook
The CAT Clutch mobile app, which is available on Android and iOS, comes pre-loaded with over 20 pixel art animations commissioned from leading pixel artists. To customise the bag, you tap the art you like on the app and seconds later it’ll appear on the front of the bag. If you want to display text instead of animation, you can use the CAT Scrawl app to create a scrolling banner. In that sense, it works a lot like the Dot View cases for HTC phones.
The inside of the bag is important too; what’s the point in having a bag at all if it’s not going to hold anything? You’d just be like an LED signpost otherwise. Fortunately, the CAT Clutch makes good use of its small space.
Inside you’ll find a large mirror that spans the width of the interior, which would save time jostling for the busy bathroom mirrors. There’s also a space to hold makeup or money and enough storage to fit an iPhone 6 Plus or a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ - aka some of the biggest phones on the market right now. There’s also a USB port to charge your phone using the same battery that powers the display - which means the display will turn off, obviously. Can’t have it both ways.
image via kickstarter
I can kind of imagine using the CAT Clutch would make you feel a little like a Cyberpunk heroine, which is really the ultimate appeal. If that sounds good, you can visit the official CAT website, or check out the Kickstarter page where they’re currently halfway to their $20,000 goal with 23 days to go. If you’d like to get your own CAT Clutch on the early bird offer it will cost you $299 (around £197) to see it delivered on October 2016. After the early bird offer, a single bag will cost $349 (around £230) for November 2016 delivery.
These are considerably large sums to pay for a bag that’s unlikely to be your everyday accessory, but when you compare it to the £1600 CuteCircuit option, it’s actually a much more affordable way to get in on the wearable pixel art trend.
Gadgette’s resident gamer has four entire console setups in her house. With two TVs. Next to each other. If this wasn’t enough to convince you she’s the best, she’s also the biggest Pokemon fan you’ll ever meet. Like her writing? Use Follow, it’s super effective.
