\u201cThey just didn\u2019t see me,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought, \u2018What if I add more lights to my gear? What if they were actually built into my clothing?\u2019\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n He set to work on a project that ultimately became <\/span>Lumenus<\/span><\/a>, a start-up company that pairs LED light arrays with an app to help bicyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians be easily seen in low light situations. The initial idea was to create smart clothing by integrating lights into garments for runners and cyclists. Wall made it his senior project, and with the help of a $1,000 undergraduate research grant, he produced a prototype, then a five-piece collection for the <\/span>Threads<\/span><\/a> senior fashion show. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n A local company, which made light-up hoodies for events like the Burning Man festival, approached him after the Threads show. They were looking to expand into athletic wear and were impressed with his work, so they offered him a job as their design director. But his new job title didn\u2019t encompass everything he was expected to do.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t just designing the new stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cI was doing pick and pack when a new order came in, I was running Facebook ads, I was doing customer service calls, I was doing supply chain. I was kind of a one-man team…I was doing everything.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n As the son of two entrepreneurs, he already had the mindset to launch his own business. But when he became aware that he was essentially running an entire company by himself, he realized he also had the necessary experience. He took some samples of his work to a trade show, where he met his first investors.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLuck is where opportunity and preparation coincide,\u201d he said, paraphrasing the Roman philosopher Seneca. \u201cI fell into entrepreneurship a little bit, but embraced it every step of the way, as opposed to being scared of it. I\u2019d seen my parents [succeed] and thought, \u2018Why not? I\u2019m young. I don\u2019t have any golden handcuffs to a good job, I don\u2019t have any dependents…This is the time to try it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n So he packed up and moved to Los Angeles, California to launch Lumenus; however, he ran into some issues with his original plan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n \u201cLumenus is currently a little different than what it started as,\u201d said Wall. \u201cWe realized it was really, really hard to mass-produce smart clothing. [Also] a lot of people\u2019s feedback was, \u2018I love this. How can I buy this to put it on <\/span>my<\/span><\/i> jacket?\u2019 Eventually, we had to listen to the customer feedback…We\u2019ve changed what we\u2019re building to an LED strip that can attach to any jacket, backpack or helmet so you don\u2019t have to buy a smart jacket. You can make your favorite jacket smart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The LED strips shine from within their low profile, faceted housing — each one looks like a matte black gem — and they are still paired with a smartphone app.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt can still do turn signals, brake lights, flash when you go through intersections…all the smarts stayed with it and are now even easier to add to,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n With the help of a narrowed focus and a new investor, Lumenus products should hit the shelves in time for the next holiday season. Wall has two immediate goals: to see the product in-store and to spot it in the wild. However, his ultimate goal is to have a positive impact on society.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTransportation is changing and we\u2019re in this paradigm shift of how people and goods are moving across the world, with Bird scooters and Lime bikes and Uber and Lyft,\u201d he said. \u201cOver the next 10 years, it\u2019s going to drastically change. Lumenus can be a large player in protecting those that aren\u2019t in vehicles…My high level goal is to make the streets more equitable, make transportation safe for everyone, bring bikes into more of the mainstream.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Education<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wall is a self-described sneakerhead. He was drawing a pair of shoes in high school chemistry class when representatives from the Wilson College of Textiles came in to give a presentation on everything he could learn at the school. He thought it might be just the place to explore his passion for shoes; he was intrigued enough to attend the one-week <\/span>Summer Textile Exploration Program<\/span><\/a> and was sold on the idea of a textiles education. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n He enrolled in the <\/span>Fashion and Textile Management<\/span><\/a> program with a concentration in Fashion Development and Product Management. Although he didn\u2019t end up designing shoes, the education he earned and the relationships he grew at the Wilson College of Textiles have been an inspiration in his quest to create products for people on the move. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTextiles hasn\u2019t limited me; in fact, it\u2019s been a specialty that [not many others] have,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think people realize how amazing this campus is…the resources are truly next-level, from the machinery and faculty to the amount of knowledge here.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n Learn more about the department of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow the Wilson College of Textiles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Twitter: @NCStateWilson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Instagram: @NCStateWilson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Linkedin.com\/company\/nc-state-wilson-college-of-textiles\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Facebook.com\/NCStateWilsonTextiles\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Written by Cameron Walker<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n By Cameron Walker<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some ideas are born with a light bulb moment; Jeremy Wall\u2019s idea was the result of a life and death moment. The NC State <\/a><\/span>Wilson College of Textiles<\/span><\/a> alumnus (FTM \u201814) was biking across campus one evening during his junior year when he was nearly hit by a car.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey just didn\u2019t see me,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought, \u2018What if I add more lights to my gear? What if they were actually built into my clothing?\u2019\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n He set to work on a project that ultimately became <\/span>Lumenus<\/span><\/a>, a start-up company that pairs LED light arrays with an app to help bicyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians be easily seen in low light situations. The initial idea was to create smart clothing by integrating lights into garments for runners and cyclists. Wall made it his senior project, and with the help of a $1,000 undergraduate research grant, he produced a prototype, then a five-piece collection for the <\/span>Threads<\/span><\/a> senior fashion show. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n A local company, which made light-up hoodies for events like the Burning Man festival, approached him after the Threads show. They were looking to expand into athletic wear and were impressed with his work, so they offered him a job as their design director. But his new job title didn\u2019t encompass everything he was expected to do.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t just designing the new stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cI was doing pick and pack when a new order came in, I was running Facebook ads, I was doing customer service calls, I was doing supply chain. I was kind of a one-man team...I was doing everything.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n As the son of two entrepreneurs, he already had the mindset to launch his own business. But when he became aware that he was essentially running an entire company by himself, he realized he also had the necessary experience. He took some samples of his work to a trade show, where he met his first investors.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLuck is where opportunity and preparation coincide,\u201d he said, paraphrasing the Roman philosopher Seneca. \u201cI fell into entrepreneurship a little bit, but embraced it every step of the way, as opposed to being scared of it. I\u2019d seen my parents [succeed] and thought, \u2018Why not? I\u2019m young. I don\u2019t have any golden handcuffs to a good job, I don\u2019t have any dependents...This is the time to try it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n So he packed up and moved to Los Angeles, California to launch Lumenus; however, he ran into some issues with his original plan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLumenus is currently a little different than what it started as,\u201d said Wall. \u201cWe realized it was really, really hard to mass-produce smart clothing. [Also] a lot of people\u2019s feedback was, \u2018I love this. How can I buy this to put it on <\/span>my<\/span><\/i> jacket?\u2019 Eventually, we had to listen to the customer feedback...We\u2019ve changed what we\u2019re building to an LED strip that can attach to any jacket, backpack or helmet so you don\u2019t have to buy a smart jacket. You can make your favorite jacket smart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The LED strips shine from within their low profile, faceted housing -- each one looks like a matte black gem -- and they are still paired with a smartphone app.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt can still do turn signals, brake lights, flash when you go through intersections...all the smarts stayed with it and are now even easier to add to,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n With the help of a narrowed focus and a new investor, Lumenus products should hit the shelves in time for the next holiday season. Wall has two immediate goals: to see the product in-store and to spot it in the wild. However, his ultimate goal is to have a positive impact on society.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTransportation is changing and we\u2019re in this paradigm shift of how people and goods are moving across the world, with Bird scooters and Lime bikes and Uber and Lyft,\u201d he said. \u201cOver the next 10 years, it\u2019s going to drastically change. Lumenus can be a large player in protecting those that aren\u2019t in vehicles...My high level goal is to make the streets more equitable, make transportation safe for everyone, bring bikes into more of the mainstream.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Education<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wall is a self-described sneakerhead. He was drawing a pair of shoes in high school chemistry class when representatives from the Wilson College of Textiles came in to give a presentation on everything he could learn at the school. He thought it might be just the place to explore his passion for shoes; he was intrigued enough to attend the one-week <\/span>Summer Textile Exploration Program<\/span><\/a> and was sold on the idea of a textiles education. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n He enrolled in the <\/span>Fashion and Textile Management<\/span><\/a> program with a concentration in Fashion Development and Product Management. Although he didn\u2019t end up designing shoes, the education he earned and the relationships he grew at the Wilson College of Textiles have been an inspiration in his quest to create products for people on the move. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTextiles hasn\u2019t limited me; in fact, it\u2019s been a specialty that [not many others] have,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think people realize how amazing this campus is...the resources are truly next-level, from the machinery and faculty to the amount of knowledge here.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about the department of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow the Wilson College of Textiles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Twitter: @NCStateWilson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Instagram: @NCStateWilson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Linkedin.com\/company\/nc-state-wilson-college-of-textiles\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Jeremy](\"https:\/\/tex-cloud-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/textiles-ncsu\/20231108101326\/Disrupt-Headshot-2-2.png\")
![\"Original](\"https:\/\/tex-cloud-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/textiles-ncsu\/20231108101326\/Backpack-6-897x1024-1.jpg\")
![\"Lumenus](\"https:\/\/tex-cloud-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/textiles-ncsu\/20231108101326\/Lumenus-Header-All-v3-1-1024x221-1.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n