Japanese Crime-Fighting Costume

Japanese designer makes a vending machine skirt to protect people from street crime.

by Matt Cipriano
Posted November 4th, 8:00am | News/Pop Culture

We all have "crazy" ideas from time to time, (click here http://www.freepatentsonline.com/crazy.html to see some of the craziest) but most of them never go beyond the idea stage. Well, at least not in the United States. In Japan, these crazy ideas seem to spring forth from the mind and actually get produced at a shocking rate. They even have a name for these things: Chindogu, which translates to "queer tools." The new trend in chindogu are devices and clothes designed with personal safety in mind. The latest is a skirt by designer Aya Tsukioka. It appears normal at first, but a few tucks and a pull of a cord, and tada—the wearer is disguised as a vending machine. Yes, a vending machine. Well, actually there are two versions, one that makes the wearer look like a full vending machine, the other is just the front of the vending machine—but stand against a wall and you'll fool potential muggers. According to Tsukioka, “These ideas might strike foreigners as far-fetched, but in Japan, they can become reality.” Chindogu safety clothes have come about due to a rising fear about crime in Japan. Since their crime rate is about seven times lower than ours, it's not too surprising that some of their ideas on how to prevent it are a bit far-fetched—they clearly don't have the experience we have (or, apparently pepper spray and tazers). Tsukioka has sold 20 of her $800 skirts so far and hopes to eventually be able to offer them to the mass-market. She has also designed the manhole purse, that when dropped on the ground is supposed to look like a manhole cover to trick thieves. Yeah, that will totally work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/20/world/asia/20japan.html

   

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