In today’s fast-paced fashion industry, keeping up with trends and maintaining popularity is becoming more difficult than ever for brands. The reason, you may ask. Well, the answer to that is complicated but the answer lies within the merger of technology and fashion.
A major factor is that the industry is becoming more competitive, almost everyday you hear of a new and emerging brand. Moreover, new brands use innovative promotional methods and strategies to set themselves apart. For instance, some merge their brand identities with strong social causes that resonate with a large group of consumers. Others use innovative material and production methods to gravitate consumers towards their brand. These are just a handful of ways of how each brand attempts to set itself apart in an oversaturated market.
Merging technology and fashion
During the annual Fashion Tech Forum in October 2017, many speakers gave their personal opinions about where the fashion industry stood in today’s market and how the tech industry could help improve some existing issues. Most speakers at the forum made it very clear that there is a lack of unique products and services, and that the market ‘needs innovation’.
It’s evident that the technology sector has and continues to witness major transformations on a daily basis. However, it’s interesting to see the correlation between of how the tech and fashion industry affect one another. The tech industry has limited experience working with the fashion industry in comparison to others, making technology in fashion less accessible. Meanwhile the limited use of technology in fashion has restricted the tech industry from introducing innovative products as there is not enough market information.
There have been numerous brands that have attempted to merge these two industries together.
Levi Strauss x Google
Incorporating the latest Jacquard technology with an iconic style, Levi’s Trucker Jacket gives a futuristic take on the classic denim jacket.
Take a look at the jacket here
Hermès x Apple
The French luxury label, Hermès collaborated with Apple in an ultimate union of heritage and technology to create stylish straps for the Apple smartwatch.
Take a look at them here
Nike x Apple
Nike, in collaboration with tech-giant Apple, launched Apple Watch Nike+, the perfect running partner on your wrist. It tracks and records your workout data while looking incredibly stylish.
Take a look at them here
Speakers at the forum discussed how, ‘creating a space with diverse talent will help shrink the gap between the fashion and tech industries’, and how the with expertise of both industries readily available it becomes much easier in determining the success of certain products and services.
Technology in fashion is cool but, how far should it go? Speaker Angela Ahrendts, cleared the air by stating, “eventually everything will become smart – we have to keep in mind that it’s impossible to do everything – both industries should stay loyal to their brands and identities.” She advised if brands do to choose to merge they should focus on one function that is still resonates with their identity.
So is staying ‘not smart’ going to be a ultimate differentiating factor in the future of fashion?
In my opinion, it will be but to a limited extent. Because very much like today there will still be desire for the real, the vintage, and the organic.
What do you think? Do you think technology has a significant place in fashion? What is a super cool fashion tech product that you have seen or used?
Let’s start this conversation!
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– Written by Alexia De Brabandere