• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, December 4, 2012

Personal electronics keep getting more personal: Macy’s has just taken the wraps off a men’s fleece sweater equipped with a personal video screen, on the left sleeve.

In a move that will welcome Gen Y to the “Hello, my name is …” world, the video name tag items are part of the retailer’s new Sean Jean collection, and a collaboration with technology partner Recom Group. Calling it the world’s first integration of video and fashion, Macy’s says the shawl-collared sweaters are available at select Macy’s stores this week, for at an introductory promotion price of $125. (Regular pricing is $198.) 

Durand Guion, Macy’s VP of men’s fashion, spotted the gizmos while scouting last year’s Consumer Electronics Show, and asked Sean Jean to incorporate it into his new line.

“This is a big deal for Macy's and Sean John,” CEO Rob Norden tells Marketing Daily in an email. “It's never been done before.” The fashion video tag slides into a pocket on the sleeve, which makes it waterproof, and comes with software that allows users to convert any YouTube or personal video. It holds up to two hours of content. The organic LED plays continuous video nonstop for 8 to 10 hours from a single charge. 

The idea started as a business-to-business concept, says Norden, with initial clients including Estee Lauder, CBS Television, Pepsi, Disney, the NFL and the NBA. But its consumer appeal is growing. “I've had guys tell me they wear it in a nightclub and crowds will form around them,” he says, adding that technology was also used in clothing on Rihanna’s world tour.

Norden claims it is the only screen technology that shows perfectly on HD cameras, adding that audiences will see Tom Cruise use it as a communications device in “Jack Reacher,” set to open later this month.