New York-based designer Andrew Schneider spends about 80 hours each week stitching photovoltaic mini-panels into bikini forms with conductive thread. If you think you’d like an iKini (that’s right–an iKini), be prepared to drop about $200 for the custom-fitted swimsuit.

Each suit comes equipped with four hidden pockets for carrying anything from a cell phone to an iPod to… something else that needs charging. And if you’re worried about getting your iKini wet, don’t be–as long as you make sure the suit is dry before plugging in your device. “You wouldn’t even feel the charge,” says Schneider.

I appreciate smart solar design as much as the next person, but this swimsuit looks sort of clumsy to me. For 200 bucks I want the panels to lie flat against the suit bottoms. What do you guys think?

[via DailyMail]