Self Defense Earrings

Project

Products in the market are failing to attract Gen Z because they do not align with the values of this generation. That being said, develop a concept of fashion products or services with the Generation Z consumer in mind using online program TinkerCAD to design a prototype.

Research + Ideation

Generation Z is beginning to have more of an influence in the market. This group of consumers view consumption as meaningful and impactful, they want to feel like they are contributing to the greater good. Gen Z holds high morals and ethics, value the freedom of expression, and lives unapologetically. After looking to myself as a reference, being that I am a part of this generation, I took to social media platforms Tiktok and Twitter to gain inspiration.

My ideas were centered around what can reflect the strength, creativity, and carefreeness that Gen Z gravitates towards. Some of the products that came to mind were self defense hair accessories, detachable jewelry, and self defense jewelry. I ultimately went with the decision to design the self defense jewelry as it combines the two former ideas.

Prototyping

These are my initial lofi-prototypes of each idea.

Hair sticks, combs, and barrettes disguised as accessories but are really blades sharp enough to act as a weapon.

Jewelry charms that can be worn on rings, as a necklace, on charm bracelets, and as earrings.

Sharp blades/weapons disguised as jewelry to be worn as earrings or necklaces.

Final Design

Going into constructing the final design, I already had an idea of what I wanted the product to look like in terms of function. It needed to resemble a knife or blade, have a grip of some sorts, and be able to be worn or carried in multiple ways. Using the shapes already generated on TinkerCAD: two rings, a cycloid, an arrowhead, and a clip shape, I joined the pieces together and resized them to my liking to create self defense earrings. This idea merges the trend of unconventional items being worn as accessories with the need of carrying a subtle weapon for protection.