How many times have you needed to charge your cell phone and wasn’t able to? While the complexity of devices evolves, their batteries seems to last less and less. Aware of this situation, the fashion industry has joined the technology sector to create garments capable of generating energy.

Here’s eight brands and projects that are developing clothes that will never let stranded with an empty battery.

Apple Watch

It´s finally here, and in today’s presentation it was confirmed that the #AppleWatch will come with wireless charging. There are plenty of cool features and you can check out the full specifications of the watch here.

Vivienne Tam x Zeuzé

Last Sunday Vivienne Tam presented a self-charging iPhone case at New York Fashion Week, a collaboration with wireless specialist Zeusé.  With this collaboration Tam turns three of the designer’s runway bags into to wireless phone chargers.

Microsoft Pants by Adrian Sauvage

The fashion designer Adrian Sauvage collaborated with Microsoft to create pants equipped with wireless charging plates in its pockets. Currently, only Nokia Lumia phones are shareable with the garment, which will be available in the coming months.

Wearable Solar

Created by Dutch designer Pauline Van Dougen, Wearable Solar is an experimental project focused on creating clothes capable of generating energy, thanks to several solar panels installed on the surface of the garments. A coat and a dress were already produced with this technology.

Voltaic Systems

This company from New York creates handbags and backpacks with integrated solar panels, which generate electricity capable of charging not only cell phones, but also laptops, cameras and other bigger devices.

Sole Power

Whenever we walk, we generate energy. Considering this fact, this start-up created insoles capable of storing energy and transferring it to mobile devices. The project has raised more than $ 60,000 through the Kickstarter platform, and it is possible to pre order the insoles here.

Empowered & Mighty Purse

These two companies have fairly similar projects: producing pretty and feminine purses that store energy to charge cell phones. The operation is quite simple: the bags come with an USB and are charged by the user, storing enough energy to then charge the mobile. The energy stored in the bag allows the user to charge a smartphone twice over before the purse will need to be recharged.

Q Bracelet by Q Designs

A minimalist and discreet bracelet hides a great attribute: to generate energy. The accessory, which weighs between 40 and 50 grams, works just like a portable charger, connected to the phone by an USB. On the webpage it is possible to choose from 3 colors (black, silver and gold) and three sizes.

Among these many interesting ideas, it is also worth mentioning the Solar Fiber project, created in 2012 by four Dutch designers. Together, they are looking to develop a flexible photovoltaic fiber that converts solar energy into electrical energy. If they succeed, clothing made with this yarn will be able to produce electricity – a revolution for the fashion and technology sector.

* this post was updated