Have you ever wished you could avoid AI technology? Look no further because one local store is selling specialized items that can help you do just that.
Italian start-up company Cap_able has selected Philadelphia as the first city in the world to sell its Manifesto Collection. This clothing line can block AI facial recognition and protect a wearer's privacy without them having to cover their face.
Cap_able has partnered with Trunc, a black-owned, vet-owned, LGBT-owned and female-owned boutique in Northern Liberties to be the first place to sell the unique collection. The clothing items were only available online until now.
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What is the Manifesto Collection?
Founder and CEO Rachele Didero began the project in 2019 while attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. After being inspired by a discussion with a UC Berkeley engineer on privacy and human rights, Didero decided to combine fashion and computer science.
Months after researching and studying, Didero designed the first Cap_able collection, and soon after the Manifesto Collection was launched.
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Additionally, while attending a training program in Italy, Didero met Federica Busani, the current co-founder of Cap_able and they joined together to turn this project into a start-up.
The founder's overall mission is to raise awareness of the right to privacy and protection of biometric data.
“Choosing what to wear is the first act of communication we perform, every day. A choice that can be the vehicle of our values,” Didero said in a news release. "In a world where data is the new oil, Cap_able addresses the issue of privacy, opening the discussion on the importance of protecting against the misuse of biometric recognition cameras: a problem that has become increasingly present in our daily life, involving citizens from all over the world and which, if neglected, could freeze the rights of the individual including freedom of expression, association and free movement in public spaces."
How are the clothes made?
The Manifesto Collection is made out of "adversarial patches" - a system capable of transposing images - that are knitted onto a fabric that can be used to deceive "people detectors" in real-time. When someone wears one of the garments they will confuse facial recognition. The person will either not be detectable or will be associated with an incorrect category such as "animal" rather than "person."
The clothing is made with cotton yarns of 100 percent Egyptian quality by Filmar - a company that adheres to the Better Cotton Initiative - and made in Italy.
According to the company, the fabric was tested with YOLO - the most common and fastest real-time object detection system - and those who wore the garment were not recognized by the software.
"Cap_able aims at changing the way people look at the clothes and accessories they wear by bringing a completely new and deeper attitude to the fashion industry," Busani said in a news release.
If you want to buy anything from the collection, each item comes with a hefty price tag. A knit short-sleeved crew will run you nearly $400.
The launch of the Manifesto Collection at Trunc Northern Liberties
Trunc will host a launch pop-up event titled Textile x Privacy on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. The event is open to the public and the owners of both Trunc and Cap_able will be in attendance.
For more about Trunc and the event, visit www.trunc.net.
For more information on Cap_able visit www.Capable.design.
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