F.A.Q.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are you a real tailor shop?
A: Yes. It is a tailor shop for Electronic Textiles.

Q: How can I place an order with you?
A: Come to our shop and talk with us. We are open on Fridays and Saturdays 13:00- 18:00. We can make a small consultation session over tea and discuss what we can do for you. We take orders only at the shop and we do not take orders from online customers.
For more info, please read our post on What can we make for you?

Q: What can I order from you?
A: Our skill is in embedding electronics into textiles (e-Textiles) so that you can wear electronic functionality on your body. It can be from embedding extra sensory to light and sound on your garment. If you are not familiar with e-Textiles and want to get an inspiration, please visit our shop in opening hours to see the examples from our opening collections.

Q: Is this safe?
A: Yes, we work with low power electronics (3-5V) which is similar to those used in your phone.

Q: Can I wash e-Textile garments?
A: Yes. Take out the battery and hand wash with ph-neutral detergent and air-dry right after washing. It is just like handling delicate fabrics. We will give you a washing instructions when handing the commission. Also all the works will come with guarantee so in case it breaks when washing (or any other wear and tear) we will fix it for you.

Q: If I order a e-Textile embedded garment today, will it be ready tomorrow?
A: Probably not. Custom made technology takes time. Although we offer some services that can be done in few hours, most of the orders will take few days to few weeks until we can hand it to you. Please plan the time in a head.

Q: When are you open?
A: Our opening hours are Fridays and Saturdays 13:00- 18:00, until the September 30 2018.
If you come on the other weekdays, we will probably be there working, but we may be out for meetings and other chores. So, if possible please come in our opening hours on the Fridays and Saturdays.
It is one year limited project. Unfortunately we will not be there forever. We will close at the end of September 2018.

Q: What about the environmental concerns of embedding electronics into textiles?
A: Good question. Unfortunately both textile and electronics industries produce huge amounts of waste in production and most of the end products can only be recycled to a very small degree. As part of this project we are looking into gathering more information about the materials involved in e-textiles and hope to address better practices around this technique. If you are interested in this topic, please read our expert perspective essay series.

Q: If I commission a genius idea, will you open source this, or can I patent it?
A: We will only take orders if you are willing to share it openly, publishing the pattern, circuit and code as open source.

Q: How much will it cost?
A: Our price consists of Materials cost + Labor hours. The material cost is how much we paid to purchase them. We tell you how much hours it takes to make the object, and you get to decide how much our one hour costs. We will take from from 50 cent/hour to 1000 euro/hour, you name it.
We can negotiate in the price before starting the commission so you will not have any extra fee after the work is done.
For more info, please read our post on How much will it cost?

Q: Is your business economically sustainable?
A: No. We’ve received funding to partly support this project. Our goal is not to make money, but to provide a platform for critical discussion about technology production. Our goal is to produce discourse and knowledge on this topic and to document and share this openly.
If you are interested in participating in our discussion, please visit our shoptalk series.