DECKED OUT// TECHED OUT By Allie Clement Coco Chanel captured the eternal and progressive nature of fashion when she said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Indeed, it is not composed merely of fabrics and fads; rather, fashion encompasses the manner of living across time. There is the superficial concept of fashion, with which we’re all familiar, but there is also the underlying connotations of adaptation and lifestyle. As society marches onward with innovations (both ideological and technical), we are presented with the interminable challenge of defining a concept. There must exist boundaries for every concept, lest the word itself lose any meaning. With this said, does fashion include technology? Or, for the sake of having a less controlled hypothesis, is technology becoming fashionable? The answer to both is a resounding “yes.” Fashion and technology are merging in multiple and multi-directional ways. Fashion is taking over technology: brands have moved past simply accessorizing tech products to creating them. At the same time, technology is taking over fashion: wearable tech products are coming forth as a genre of their own. We see it on the runway, in magazines, and on the streets. The hard line between the art of fashion and the science of technology is disappearing.
Above: Tory Burch for Fitbit Flex; Elie Tahari iPhone dress
26
Designers are partnering with tech companies to market their products toward the chicly inclined. Apple hired Yves Saint Laurent Europe President and Retail Head Catherine Monier and CEO Paul Deneve within the past couple of years to work on “Special Projects,” as well as former Burberry CEO Angela
THE THREAD MAGAZINE
Ahrendts to head the Retail and Online Stores department. This collaboration of different industry professionals is most likely behind the Apple Watch, which will be available in a basic form, “sport,” and “edition” in early 2015. While Google Glass may have the tech features of a Star Trek episode, it also looks fit for Star Trek characters. Creative Director of Marie Claire and Project Runway judge Nina Garcia donned a pair of the cyborg-esque specs for New York Fashion Week in the spring. In a reflection on the merging of technology and fashion, she comments, “[U]ntil very recently, technology and fashion have not been on speaking terms. All that seems to be changing.” Google Glass is stepping up to the plate ¾ the Internet company paired with Luxottica, the manufacturers behind eyewear brands such as Ray Ban and Oakley, in hopes of producing high tech glasses for high aesthetically-oriented customers. Wearables focused on health and fitness have risen in popularity, too. Brands like Fitbit, Nike, Misfit, and Jawbone manufacture wristbands that record physical activity, monitor sleep, and track progress to self-set goals. Tory Burch created more stylish bands and pendants