As outlined on her Mind the Gap blog at Nature Network, Jennifer Rohn and her partner in design Wynn Abbott have devised a competition to challenge fashion designers, from students all the way up to celebs, to reinterpret lab coats for the twenty-first century. The brief: the coats must still discharge a protective function, but they must also be fun, fresh, sexy and original in design.

Further details of this LabLit/SciCult competition to reinvent the humble lab uinform are provided here, together with a nice sketch by Vera Bravo to get people’s creativity started.

Jennifer writes: “We will make a formal call for designs within the next few months and our panel of judges will make a decision on the shortlist in autumn. If all goes to plan, we will coordinate with London Fashion Week in Spring 2008 and host a gala catwalk event at which the overall winner will announced. In addition to the main prize, we will also give out awards for the best accessories, such as gloves, masks and safety goggles. If anyone’s interested in getting involved or needs more information, ”https://network.nature.com/blogs/user/UE19877E8/2007/07/11/in-which-i-dream-of-the-catwalk">let Wynn or me know! So come on, people, pimp my coat! I’m tired of putting on the same old stained, shapeless one every morning."