Geek Chic? Why Fashion Is Holding Off on Wearables

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Image: Cuff

By Jessica Randazza2014-04-16 16:04:01 UTC

After receiving an invitation for this year’s fifth annual Fashion 2.0 Awards, an event that acknowledges the fashion industry’s savviest digital programs and technology outputs, you can imagine my panic in selecting the perfect ensemble.

Finding the perfect outfit

I had nothing in my closet that remotely resembled anything technologically or digitally advanced, unless you count my “follow me” tights or my Twitter name necklace. And I knew I showing up wearing my Nike Fuel Bands (yes, plural) or Pebble watch and other gadgetry was just too understated for my aim at high-fashion geek chic.

That’s when Daniel Karpantschof, my MacGyver boyfriend, came to save the day with an LED-enhanced dress — using a frock right out of my wardrobe. The homemade project used Arduino’s Lilly Pad, made specifically for wearable tech, and paired together with some LEDs and some fiber optic cables so I sparkled like the night sky.

To say I was beyond gleeful would be a massive understatement, and so it wasn't until I arrived at the event that I discovered that no one else shared my enthusiasm for technologically enhanced clothes. Literally. Why was I was the only one dressed up like a Christmas tree? This was the Fashion 2.0 Awards, right?

Where's all the wearable tech?

The "Wearable Technology" category awarded Nike Fuel with the most fashionable wearable, but I knew there had to be more, well, fashionable wearables that were left out. Why was that, I wondered?

See also: 10 Fresh Apps for Fashion Enthusiasts

Why was it that the fashion industry — consistently one that prides itself on being cutting edge — seemed to be missing wearable technology?

I posed this question to Margaux Guerard, co-founder and president of MEMI, who spoke with Mashable about MEMI’s stylish smart bracelet. The bracelet is geared toward urban women who want to unplug, but stay connected to important calls, using a Bluetooth-enabled iPhone application.

"Fashion is late to the game in wearable technology," Guerard said. "The industry has congratulated innovators in colors, cuts and hemlines for so long that when it comes to technology, there is slow adoption. The jury is still out on wearables, and [labels] have their brand reputation and customer loyalty to protect."

Guerard knows a thing or two about the brand prospective, having worked as the director of global marketing for Diane von Furstenberg before starting MEMI.

“When I worked for DVF, we spent a lot of time thinking about how we can protect and preserve the brand. And that’s important because that’s how you create prestige and [build] a premium brand.”

Some people are doing it well

We have seem some major players like Rebecca Minkoff creating the Stelle’ Audio Clutch, with a speaker system built in to one of her clutch bags. This year’s announcement of Tory Burch’s recent partnership with FitBit which will debut this fall as a "collection of stylish bracelet and pedant accessories" and Intel’s partnership with Open Ceremony to create a "smart bracelet,"both which are seemingly driven by the technology companies, rather than the fashion houses.

"Wrists, necks, and fingers are very valuable real-estate," Guerard said. "And that’s a safe place for consumers to play, because they can always take it off if it’s not accepted by their environment."

There are some very innovative designers and technologists trying to blow the shirt off wearable technology with some racy designs like Studio Roosegaarde’s "Intimacy" dress that becomes transparent as the wearer’s heartbeat increases, but mainstream reactions seem to be landing that type of garment in a futuristic space odyssey fashion 3.0 that they’re just not comfortable with yet.

Yuli Ziv, founder of the Fashion 2.0 Awards, says she’s encouraging her community and attendees to think further into the future, and plan for more innovations to keep up with what’s possible. She says while it may be uncomfortable for consumers, and even designers now, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t start planning more advanced applications of technology in their designs down the line.

An industry with a technologically bright future

"I believe this industry is just at the beginning of reaching its potential as something life-changing and revolutionary. There is no reason our clothes won’t be as functional and durable as some of the gadgets we covet," Ziv said.

"If there is anything fashion brands can learn from the iPad, it’s the fact that even today, consumers are willing to pay $700 for a product that is well made and life-changing. And if people are willing to pay $700 for a sexy gadget that does the same thing every desktop does, they’ll be willing to pay that price for an innovative item of clothing they’ll wear for years, regardless of seasons and trends. And if brands can’t see where this industry might be in the next 10 or 20 years, getting the next fashion trend right won’t help them survive."

So it seems for this round of the Fashion 2.0 Awards I may have been a little overzealous with my D-battery powered dress. Or maybe I’m trendsetting for what’s to come in 2015? Just remember, you heard it here first.

Topics: Fashion, Gadgets, Tech, Wearable Tech, Work & Play