It’s already gone viral. When Charli XCX takes the stage at the San Francisco Music Festival, her voice turns hoarse beneath the trees of Golden Gate Park. The crowd starts jumping as the guitar hook kicks in, and I reluctantly join them, bouncing on my aging knees. My puff necklace nearly slips off its chain.
During a break in the set, someone standing beside me compliments the necklace’s stainless steel swirls and bulbous orange centerpiece. Their eyes widen when I remove the cap and reveal that the futuristic pendant is actually a hidden USB flash drive. They plug the Puff into their phone to show off its animated display.
Harry Isaac and Sebastian Bidegain of Noware first posted an early prototype of the retro-futuristic USB necklace on social media in 2025. It sold quickly, and the product soon attracted more than 1 million views. Customers must join a waiting list of thousands to purchase one. After spending the past year turning online demand into a manufacturable product, Noware is finally preparing to ship the Puff necklace in October.
Photo: Provided by Noware
Naturally, Isaac and Bidegain arrive at the WIRED office wearing matching Puff necklaces. Their futuristic accessories complement an on-trend gorpcore-inspired look. Both designers appear excited—and slightly nervous—to present their first mass-market product. Although neither has previously released a widely distributed device, both have experience creating unusual, playful technology. Isaac previously attracted attention with an electric scooter that sprays bubbles, while Bidegain has explored sculptural electronics through prototypes such as a rock-embedded e-cigarette camera and a lo-fi sampler.
The Puff necklace is designed to combine fashion with everyday utility. Noware’s marketing materials show a stylish wearer attaching the pendant to a handbag, layered with other silver chains. Bidegain says the product’s “squishy, doughy” shape was inspired in part by the texture of food, as well as cell biology and tactile objects such as vintage telephones and radios.
“On the one hand, I want everyone to be able to wear it if they think it’s beautiful,” he says. “But we also want to bring in people who actually use flash drives as part of their workflow: photographers, DJs, and IT professionals.”
My favorite feature is the tiny screen at the center of the necklace. When the Puff is connected to a phone or laptop, the display lights up with a customizable graphic. The Noware team demonstrates several unusual animations, including an aquarium mode that responds to the direction in which the phone is held. They also display the WIRED logo using custom software that anyone can use to create original designs. Because the Puff has no built-in battery, its USB flash drive can function as wearable technology for far longer than many conventional electronic devices.
Source: www.wired.com