As facial recognition technology becomes more widespread across Britain's public spaces, a growing number of fashion designers are creating "adversarial clothing" – garments featuring specially designed patterns intended to confuse computer vision systems. Brands such as Vollebak, Cap_able and Urban Privacy argue their designs offer both a degree of protection from surveillance and a visible statement about privacy rights, and industry figures believe the trend could soon break into the mainstream if endorsed by a high-profile wearer.

The rise of such clothing comes amid mounting public unease about automated identification, which modern computer vision systems can now perform more cheaply and widely than traditional CCTV, including tracking individuals across multiple cameras. Britain's biometrics watchdogs have called for stronger regulation, citing evidence that black and Asian people are more likely to be misidentified, while a recent poll found almost 60% of people fear facial recognition is pushing the UK towards a "surveillance society". Designers stress the clothing cannot guarantee anonymity, but say techniques such as bold prints, asymmetrical cuts and even infrared LEDs woven into garments help raise awareness and provoke public debate about privacy.