Triple Jump Final

ALPHA TAURI X TELEKOM FASHION FUSION TRIPLE JUMP FINAL

An unusual trio with a shared vision: AlphaTauri, Deutsche Telekom, and Schoeller Textiles jointly launched the first drop of their Heatable Capsule Collection in January 2020. Antje Hundhausen, founder of Telekom Fashion Fusion within Deutsche Telekom, and Ahmet Mercan, CEO of AlphaTauri, share exciting visions regarding the future of intelligent wearables, the role of gamification, and a rapid technological leap.

Interview: Stephan Huber. Text: Isabel Faiss. Photos: Telekom Fashion Fusion

What was the spark that brought

AlphaTauri, Deutsche Telekom, and Schoeller Textiles to the same table?

Ahmet Mercan, CEO Alpha Tauri: What connects us is a curiosity about the future and a desire to develop something new together. We are entering a completely new playing field. The end consumer has not yet developed a great awareness of smart tech in fashion. We are now developing the topic together, with innovation and information. Antje Hundhausen, VP Brand Experience Deutsche Telekom: We have been exploring the world of wearables, gadgets, and accessories for 20 years. When we joined this collective, it was important for us to team up with partners who work just as hard as we do to understand topics holistically. Schoeller Textiles and AlphaTauri are such partners. For us, it was not just about functionality and expertise, but about fashion level and trend affinity. AlphaTauri is synonymous with experimentation and pioneering spirit, coupled with a focused market orientation. I think that guarantees a very strong partnership.

This first drop was the kick-off for a broader vision. What are the next steps in terms of product and strategy?

Ahmet Mercan: We always face the challenge of combining functionality with style. This issue has accompanied AlphaTauri since the beginning. We are pioneers in translating technological innovations into fashion. From the very beginning, we were driven by the idea of following up the Heatable Capsule Collection 1.0 with a second stage, introducing additional features and new silhouettes.

Heatable is just one possible feature. What are other smart technology ideas that could be implemented?

Ahmet Mercan: I do not want to give too much away, but in the long run it will amount to offering more and different services to the wearer by means of sensors, feeds, and geo-tracking. There are great examples of how technology is the entry point to offer true value to the consumer across many industries. This is exactly the aspect we are working on as a team.

How much further do you think Intelligent Wear can develop?

Antje Hundhausen: As a first step, we launched the app that regulates the jacket’s heat output. However, in cooperation with the DFKI, the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence, and other

“Expect the unexpected is the motto. Customers are positively surprised by the functionality of a product when they do not expect it in the first place,” says Ahmet Mercan, CEO of AlphaTauri, describing the potential he sees in the fusion of technology, functionality, and lifestyle.

“Excellent coverage and a fast network are the primary needs of a target group that wants to equip their avatars to provide them with a unique identity,” says Antje Hundhausen, VP Brand Experience at Deutsche Telekom, naming the challenge she foresees for her company and the fashion industry.

Dedicated to our beautiful Sisters.

experts, we intend to go much further than that. For example, by developing a jacket that knows exactly what you need, even in terms of health – fully integrated like a smart watch. An app that connects to your body via your jacket and acts like a personal assistant.

Embedding a technological entertainment factor in a product is certainly part of what is admittedly a broad form of gamification. Is this the next big hype we will experience? The combination of gamification and personalisation, which enables completely new product ideas, access to the consumer, and a completely different form of storytelling?

Antje Hundhausen: We are studying this topic in depth on many different levels, primarily in order to gain access to the young target group. The journey is only just beginning and there are endless products and services that would make sense as add-ons and would allow us to interconnect even more. There is a great deal to learn from the gaming and e-sports sector. A whole new language is emerging, and we, as a brand, simply have to learn to understand it. Today, 50 percent of all Germans are gamers or e-sports enthusiasts, a gigantic and, in many respects, still uncharted market.

What gaming brings to our industry is, above all, superior technology, and an idea of how to adapt it for a transformed market and consumer.

Ahmet Mercan: I believe the greatest potential lies in the cross-functional networking of industries. What we are definitely going to see is a completely new understanding of lifestyle and comfort: our emerging consumers will define the agenda of how we need to increasingly interconnect fashion, consumption, and technology. If we look at the Asian

In January 2020, AlphaTauri, Telekom Fashion Fusion, and Schoeller Textiles launched the first capsule featuring two jackets and a waistcoat whose heating function can be controlled via an app. Just the beginning of a shared vision.

markets, we in Western Europe still have a lot of catching up to do in a global context. Nobody can currently predict what the perfect product will be in the future. We need to observe, experiment, and always be ready to adapt in record time. The best example is digital fashion. It is incredibly attractive for brands, because the value chain is completely different, and many completely new aspects come into play. But, at least for now, you can only play a role in the virtual world if you are also a factor in the physical world.