Color-Changing Accessories by The Unseen

As children of the 80s and 90s, we're all familiar with fabrics that change color with body temperature. I can recall a magical pair of unicorn mittens, not to mention an entire gym class spent breathing on my best friend's t-shirt to watch it transform. But, now, British label The Unseen has upped the ante with a line of luxury accessories available at Selfridges that not only responds to temperature, but to a whole host of environmental factors including wind and air pressure.

Loosely inspired by the hypercolor clothing of our youth, there are several pieces that react to heat and touch, of course—a sleek cross-body bag, an embossed cuff. But there's also the shoulder bag with a an alligator-leather panel that shifts colors with the seasons. Treated with environmentally responsive ink, the panel appears black in the winter, red in the spring, blue in the summer and green fading to red in the fall. Or there's the simple black leather backpack that flushes vibrantly with changes in air pressure and returns to black once indoors.

Launched by self-proclaimed "chemical alchemist" Lauren Bowker, The Unseen is focused on, simply, "seeing the unseen by combining science with art, design and performance." The lofty task has already resulted in pieces exhibited everywhere from the Victoria and Albert Museum to The Barbican.

The U.S. is next on the list of The Unseen's plan for world domination, according to Forbes, with commissions for 2016 at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and (fellow Bostonians, rejoice!) the Museum of Fine Arts.

[Found via Forbes]