Tracing headphones from function to fashion.

1. the ‘can’ story:
From function
to fashion
Presented By:
DAKSH JAIN
TANYA MATHEW
Course: M.Des (I)
Subject: Language of Fashion
Faculty: Sharmila Jayant Dua

2. The very First
Headphones
1881 was when it all started.
Little to do with music,
Headphones were first used
by the telephone operators.
Weighed more than 10
pounds. That’s a lot of weight!
1881

3. From the kitchenelectrophone
Somewhat like the radio system, the
‘Electrophone’ made it possible for
people to connect to the live feed of
performances at local opera houses
across London.
These stethoscope lookalikes were
connected to conventional telephone
lines.
Made by Nathaniel Baldwin in Utah
with cans from his kitchen.
He sold them to the US navy.
1895 1910

4. WHEN
1949:
Made by John C. Koss.
His headphones dominated the 60s &
70s market.
They weighed 3-5 pounds.
Produced by AKG.
Shifted operations From film equipment business
to just audio.
Released by STAX.
STEREO
electrostatic
Design
took charge.
1958
1959

5. 1979
sony releases ‘walkman’
Sony came out with walkman and
made music mobile.
Headphones with foam padding that
could sit lightly on the ear was a
step further in portability.
supra aural headphones
headphones go on a diet
Bluetooth based solutions in
headphones eliminated the wire,
this made it more convenient to
wear it on the body.
It began to be worn even when it
was not being used to hear music.
It became an intrinsic part of a
person’s appearance. It started to
make a fashion statement.
1990cordless
headphones

6. ‘fashionable’ cans
what drives the choice of headphones?
FIT sound
style

7. music preferences and
headphone choices
Cyan
magenta
yellow
CYAN=MELODY
MAGENTA=RHYTHM
YELLOW=HARMONY
White Noise
Grey Speech
Greenclassical
Cyanpop
Purple jazz
Redrap

8. Bobsmade
Dr. Dre
heavy
metal
classical
The kind of music one listens
to is fashionable and that
could be related to the kind of
headphones bought.

9. They cheapen the music. They’re kind
to songs for the radio, engineered for
loudness, and alien to any form of subtlety.
is fashion
a compromise
for quality?
Lower priced Skullcandy - inferior
sound quality but superfluous
design. Money is in the brand
name.

10. fabric prints
on headphones

11. fashion brands hitch
onto headphones
Vektr by diesel
Adidas

12. celebrity endorsements
The House of Marley,
a UK manufacturer
builds headphones
based on the reggae
singer Bob Marley,
uses eco-friendly
wood in its designs.
In 1966 Koss came out
with the Beatles Head-
phones. The Koss Beat-
lephones were nothing
more than an average
set of cans covered in
stickers but they sold
out globally and re-
main one of the most
sought-after bits of Fab
Four memorabilia.
Lady Gaga in ties
with Dr. Dre Beat
and Monster came
out with these in-
the-ear headphones
titled ‘HeartBeat’

13. 50 Cent launched his
own headphone line
for SMS Audio.
in December 2010,
Beats launched
Justbeats by Dre,
in collaboration
with Justin Bieber,
an artist that was
particularly popular
with the teen demo-
graphic at the time.
In partnership with
Disney, Monster
released Daft Punk
Tron headphones. The
headphones carry LED
lights to mimic the
character’s costumes
from the movie.

14. V-moda xs
Futuristic
on-ears look
like a true
music geek’s
headphone.
Solid,
techy and
androgynous.
molami
twine
Silk headband
with built-in
speakers. Wash
the headband
in warm soapy
water.
skullcandy
knockout
One of the
few, expressly
engineered
for women.
Incorporates
floral and punk
prints.
swarovski
DJ
headphones
The styling of
the crystalised
headphones is for
people who dont
underestimate
fashion. Look
gorgeous also while
listening to music.
AVANT GARDE

15. custom
cans
by Jason Rhys-
Thomas makes
customised
headphones as
per order. Haute
couture for
headphones.
swarovski
crystal
beats
by Dr. Dre
incorporates
4000 Swarovski
style crystals.
swarovski
crystal
tinchy
stryder
headphones

16. REFERENCES
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Zargani, L. (2007). The Future of Technology and Fashion. WWD:
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Beats by Dre. (2014). Beats by Dre - What Does Apple Stand to
Gain, 1-29.
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More Step In Headphones As Fashion. Forbes.Com
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PR, N. (2012, January 9). Monster Brings Music and Fashion
Together With “Inspiration™” Company’s First Noise-Canceling
Over-Ear Headphone. PR Newswire US.
Boffard, R. (2013). Music to Our Ears. Aesthetica, (54), 118-119.
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