By Janica Kaneshiro
It’s fashion week in New York City, and it’s just the beginning of fashion month as the catwalk marathon continues in London, Milan and Paris throughout September.
Also happening this week, Apple released the iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch.
So what do these simultaneous events have to do with each other?
Now more than ever, it’s not only important who you’re wearing, but what it does.
That’s right, wearable tech is making its bold appearance on the runway this fall, and it’s the future, people.
In years ahead, our kids will be gushing about the popular kid’s shirt that also tracks his heart rate and biometric data.
Wait. That technology already exists. It was debuted by Ralph Lauren using conductive silver thread to send data back to the user’s smart phone or tablet. Check out the U.S. Open. The boys are already trying out the technology.
My prediction is that the convergence of fashion and technology will be a gorgeous intersection between design, functionality and beauty.
Here are some of the top designers and their recent takes on wearable tech.
Rebecca Minkoff is launching a new jewelry tech line. Its products include a gold and black-studded bracelet, which is conventional for Minkoff. Not as conventionally, the bracelet notifies the wearer when she receives a call or text on her mobile phone through Bluetooth technology.
CEO of the brand, Uri Minkoff told Women’s Wear Daily that “our girl wants to wear bracelets and jewelry, and she has this relationship with technology, but for us, we’re adding function into very fashionable items she would choose to buy, whether they were tech-enabled or not.”
He has a point. If the future of fashion is going to be techy, then it needs to be something that fashion A-listers will want to wear. It can’t be a gimmick. It can’t look like it came from an infomercial. It needs to blend seamlessly between the worlds of technology and avant-garde.
Earlier this summer, Tory Burch teamed up with Fitbit to create a tech line that was also beautiful.
Not only was it nice to look at, but it enhanced the brand by getting right to the target audience. Fitbit tracks calories, steps and sleep. What better way to appeal to women than to team up with a feminine designer?
It’s smart on both ends. It ups the value of the clothing by, well, making it more expensive. But it also gives tech geeks a place among starlets and fashionistas. A true win-win.
If this technology is our future, then our future looks trendy.
