The SolarShopper was first introduced to the world on Sunday, July 8th in Munich, Germany, at the ISPO Sports & Style trade show as one of several winners of the show’s wearable technologies competition called the Brand New Awards. We stopped by the booth first off because we were attracted to the bags themselves. SolarShopper bags are very stylish coming in colors and textures such as paten leather pink, grey and black (like a BAPE sneaker), and it has pockets on the side for an iPod or cell phone. The only way you could tell it was something unique were the fashionable 3 stripes down the front of the bags which actually are the working solar panels that charge up whatever you have inside.
Designer Andreas Weber from Germany explained that he came up with the concept when a friend suggested creating something that’s fashionable, yet green and useful. As Andreas put it, “Often those in technology are off working in a corner somewhere and rarely interact with the fashion designers. But now with this case of our SolarShopper, the bags are just the first step of what’s possible. We are creating many more ideas.” Andreas, who is actually an architecture designer by trade, is also creating a solar-powered screen for car windows that can re-charge gaming systems such as a Nintendo handset for back-seat players, i.e. kids on a road trip.
The SolarShopper has a power bank output and input system, auxiliary battery and a performance system that offers 20% higher energy than conventional crystalline solar cells. It also comes with all adapters for a range of cell phones from Nokia, Motorola, etc. The solar collector panels themselves also still work even in hot or cold temperatures or in shadows, so it’s not like you’ll suddenly lose power if you walk into the shade or happen to live in a cold, cloudy, rainy climate.
The color palettes of the bags range from black, white, pale pink, green, brown, and a unique faux leather blue. SolarShopper bags will be hitting the marketplace next month, retailing for $149 Euros.
