Wearable Technology Gets a Fashion Fix
While once regarded as a novelty, wearable technology has grown to take a prominent place in the consumer market.
As the buzz around these products has increased and companies have begun to offer them at a range of price points, wearable tech goods have suddenly become highly coveted - and the fashion industry has taken note.
The merging of wearable tech with luxury fashion is not an altogether surprising move - these are, after all, products meant to be worn by people on a regular basis. Both tech companies and fashion companies alike see the marriage of their two fields as a lucrative and forward-thinking strategy that will benefit them and their customers.
As expressed by David Lauren, Executive Vice President of Global Advertising, Marketing, and Corporate Communications at Ralph Lauren, “It would be foolish not to play in this game. It is where the world is going.”
So, play the game they did. In the fall of 2015, Ralph Lauren released the PoloTech smart shirt for men, a black nylon compression shirt embedded with sensors that track the wearer’s vital signs and send the data to a designated smartphone app. The app then creates customized workout plans based on the wearer’s stats. Ultimately, the brand hopes to implement the same technology in a variety of different pieces across their collections.
Other fashion designers have chosen to partner up with makers of existing wearable technology in limited edition collaborations. This past fall, fashion powerhouse Hermès joined forces with Apple to create a special collection of Apple Watches. These watches not only sport the fine leather band tied to the Hermès legacy, but can also be customised to reflect classic Hermès watch face designs. "Apple and Hermès make very different products, but they reflect the deep appreciation of quality design," said Apple's chief design officer Jonathan Ive. “Apple Watch Hermès is a true testament to that belief."
The Fall/Winter 2016 fashion shows in New York City introduced other new and exciting collaborations between the fashion and tech worlds. Fitness tracking brand, FitBit, teamed up with edgy design label PUBLIC HOUSE in the creation of five unisex, sleek metal styles. These pieces illustrate the ever more fluid melding of hardware design and aesthetics, a direction which many designers are embracing.
As the tech and fashion worlds continue to merge together, the marketing potential of the resulting products has grown accordingly. With both industries working together to gain an edge, the consumer market for wearable tech is becoming more exciting, innovative and accessible.
The key for both parties is how to find the perfect balance between beauty and brains. As Adam Roth of the Council of Fashion Designers of America accurately observed, “There are so many wearable products coming out… Not every single one is useful, but may look beautiful. Each one is beautiful but is really useful. We’re getting to the sweet spot, where it’s both.”
About The Author:
This article is written by By Olga Grigorenko. He is an Social Media writer and working with Fueled.