Over the decades, fashion has evolved from one style to the next, to reflect the aesthetic of the era. Popular fashion trends have been shifting just as rapidly as technology has been advancing. What is similar between technology and fashion is that they are such an integral part of our everyday lives—it is no surprise then that since around 2014, there has been a rise in the intersection of fashion and technology. Below are a few examples of fashionable technology.

 

Wearables

Wearables are quintessential examples of fashionable technology and the marriage of fashion and tech. Smart watches such as the Apple smartwatch and Sony’s Digital Dial smartwatches don’t only look cool, but they can also act as fitness trackers and some can even be linked to your mobile device. Smart clothing is another example of wearables; it is functional fashion that can monitor your emotions and help you keep track of your heart rate while helping to make your exercise routine less strenuous.

Interactive mirrors

Interactive mirrors, or “magic mirrors”, have been dubbed the future of retail by those in the fashion and retail industries. In the US, interactive mirrors have been used in cosmetic and clothing stores. In the cosmetics stores, the mirrors act as beauty consultants; they zone in on wrinkles, blemishes and clogged pores. Interactive mirrors do not have a touch-screen function, instead, they use a voice command function to engage the consumer, who is prompted to respond using hand gestures. According to Fast Company, the interactive mirror “switches from mirror to screen mode to offer a daily and weekly summary of how you’re ageing and what you can do to battle the ravages of time.”

In clothing stores, interactive fitting rooms allow the customer to see different styles and colours of an item of clothing they have decided to try on. The item is recognised through an RFID tag that is attached to it and syncs with the store’s available inventory. All the customer has to do is push a button to request a style, size and colour. The interactive mirror also comes with the option of taking a picture of the mirror image and sharing it on social media.

Interactive mirrors don’t only make the shopping experience convenient for the consumer, but they also offer valuable insights for the stores. As noted by Petah Marian, senior editor of retail intelligence at trend forecasting firm WGSN, ““Understanding which products are being tried on and not bought, what’s being sized up or down, or being styled together, is the physical equivalent to knowing what was put into an online shopper’s cart and not bought.”

 

Self-lacing sneakers

Incorporated into the design of self-lacing sneakers is technology that allows the shoe to automatically tighten once you put them on. Examples include the  Nike Adapt BB, which can be controlled with an app, and Puma’s self-lacing sneaker. The first Nike self-lacing shoe was seen in the movie Back To The Future in 1989.

Puma’s self-lacing sneakers come with a touch-sensitive control panelPuma’s FI (Fit Intelligence), and they are set to come out in 2020.

 

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