First of it's kind, hypersonic earrings

[07.18.2022] - Empowering Workwear by Lydia, an avant-garde #StorytellingFashion label, is launching its first jewelry piece, the ‘hypersonic deterrence earrings’, with the aim of raising awareness on the threat of hypersonic weapons as well as advocating for a deterrence policy. It comes at a time when experts are warning that a deadly global arms race is imminent, with countries such as the US, Russia, India and China competing for hypersonic supremacy.

​

Founder of the storytelling fashion label, Dr. Lydia Kostopoulos draws upon her national security background to tell the story of hypersonic weapons and make the case for why global attention is needed on this matter. The minimalist design of the handmade earrings elegantly illustrates the precarious nature of the speed of hypersonic weapons by juxtaposing a ballistic flight path with a 22k gold gilded hypersonic glide vehicle’s flight path.

​

The rhinestones represent where the radar detects the missiles on their flight path towards the target, which is represented with a red rhinestone. This visual representation calls attention to how little time militaries have to respond to a hypersonic missile once it is detected by a radar. The compression of time to make a decision decreases the ability for a measured response and adversely impacts international stability. Currently, there is no deterrence policy for hypersonic weapons and this latest wearable art installation from Empowering Workwear aims to make the case that it is time for a deterrence policy for this type of weapons system. Dr. Kostopoulos says the Hypersonic Deterrence earrings are “part jewelry, part art and part political advocacy for strategic stability.”