How often do we as women, get to sample a little automotive innovation with our fashion shows? Not often, that’s for sure, but Toyota has collaborated with four Chicago-based fashion designers for the world premiere of clothing which has been inspired by one of Toyota’s concept personal mobility vehicles, the Toyota i-Real.   This one of a kind team-up of Toyota and fashion togs takes place during “Fashion Focus Chicago 2008,” which is scheduled on Thursday, October 2 in Chicago’s Millennium Park. 

The four fashion mavens – Windy City natives all - were chosen from hundreds of designers who wanted to create fashion concepts derived from the Toyota i-Real personal vehicle.

Last year, the one-person all electric i-Real made its debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. The three wheeler (two in the front and one in the back) has a shortened wheelbase when in low-speed, which allows easy maneuvering at eye-level among pedestrians without taking up a lot of space, while in high-speed mode, the i-Real wheelbase lengthens to provide a lower center of gravity and better driving performance.

According to the press release dropped in my email, the four designers chosen were swept away on a whirlwind trip to Japan, where they met with Toyota i-Real engineers and learned about Japanese culture.  To really get their creative ideas flowing, the designers took trips to the country’s fast-paced technology hubs and also paid visit to the 1,000-year-old Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya.

Said Tetsuya Kaida, General Manager of TMC’s Business Revolution Corporate Value Project Department:

“We are excited to showcase the fashions created by these incredibly talented designers. They worked hand-in-hand with our engineering and design teams to not only understand the i-REAL’s functionality but its design ideology as well. The fashions are marvelous in that they capture the interconnectivity of man to his environment, and the essence of technology for the sake of human betterment.”

This is the fourth year for “Fashion Focus Chicago,” a weeklong event held from October 1 through October 8. The event is designed to celebrate Chicago’s fashion and garment industry and the first year for Toyota’s dive into the world of fashion.  Designers include internationally-based designers from Poland, Italy and China. 

For more information and event details, visit http://www.chicagofashionresource.com or call the Department of Cultural Affairs at (312) 744-2400.

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