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3) Arranging the modules on a bought jacket. The handheld cube later became a piece of garment to make it more practical for taking a train, and to highlight its performative quality.
Caltrain Commuter Jacket
Based on my personal experience and a little bodystorming—generating ideas while walking through the commuting experience myself—I summarized a list of user needs. Then, I figured out the tools to tackle these needs. With a targeted style in mind (a combination of white, red, and silver, which resembles the Caltrain’s color palette,) I bought a used jacket and other materials after a day of hunting in thrift stores and fabrics supplies shops. Later on, I found ways to arrange the parts on the jacket and to attach and detach them from it (with zippers, Velcro strips, and key rings.) Finally, it was days and nights of learning how to sew from my friends and YouTube, followed by nightmares of crappy stitches, fears of not finishing it, an unexpected backache, though ultimately culminating in relief and celebration.