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Stretchable OLED Could Be Coming to Tote Bags Near You

LG Display says its OLED prototype could be used as part of a new category of smart device clothing.

Headshot of Ty Pendlebury
Headshot of Ty Pendlebury
Ty Pendlebury Editor
TV and home video editor Ty Pendlebury joined CNET Australia in 2006, and moved to New York City to be a part of CNET in 2011. He tests, reviews and writes about the latest TVs and audio equipment. When he's not playing Call of Duty he's eating whatever cuisine he can get his hands on. He has a cat named after one of the best TVs ever made.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
Ty Pendlebury
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Stretchable OLED displays to debut at Seoul Fashion Week

 LG Display

LG Display will unveil a stretchable OLED today, which it says could be used for customized displays on fabrics and other smart devices, as part of Seoul Fashion Week.

The thin and lightweight displays can be "freely stretched, folded, and twisted," and adhere to irregular surfaces such as clothing and skin, the company said in a press release.

LG display says the technology could be used in smart devices which are worn like clothes or attached to the body. 

The OLEDs, which allow designs and colors to change instantaneously, will feature on the front of garments, sleeves and clutch bags crafted by Korean designers Youn-Hee Park and Chung-Chung Lee. 

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OLED tote bags 

 LG Display

The stretchable display is part of a research project LG Display began in 2020 that is set to conclude by the end of this year.

Currently, LED and electroluminescent displays are used for t-shirt designs while LG Display's OLED prototypes are potentially more flexible and rugged. Though the company doesn't specify this, its material is still unlikely to be washing machine-safe.

Meanwhile, smart clothes have been around for a while and products make regular appearances at CES every year, though LG Display is one of the largest names to debut compatible technology so far.