Hybrid-organization: Silicon Valley and the Fashion Industry
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Hybrid-organization:
Silicon Valley and the Fashion Industry
Jenna Demchuk
MFA Candidate, Design & Technology
Parsons, The New School For Design
New York, NY
demcj563@newschool.edu
ABSTRACT
The intersection of technology and fashion is an impressive
yet controversial territory that designers and technologists
have been entering with both confidences and precautions.
Author Keywords
Fashionable tech; wearable markets; interactive; evolving;
culture; style; collaboration; hyrbid-organization,
revolution; fiber science; fashion integration; redefine;
glamorize geek wear
INTRODUCTION Figure 1: Mica by Intel and Opening Ceremony
Ongoing discussions regarding the new and gradual
integration of fashion into Silicon Valley are awakening
Part of the success of these products must come from a
major players in both fashion and tech industries. The
range of reasons people want to incorporate them into their
desperate call for injection of fashion into wearable
technologies originated from the lack of visual appeal of wardrobes. Elements such as aesthetics, style, longevity,
such products; “It [tech] wants to be a major player in the functionality, and invisible tech must be at the forefront of
culture at large. It wants to lead not just how we these designs in order for consumers to want them for more
communicate, but what we talk about, watch, read, and than just the tech. Considering this collaboration, what’s
even wear, which is why companies like Apple and Intel most interesting is the evolving technology-consuming
are building out entire teams dedicated to fashion and culture designers and technologists are creating for. We are
style.” [6]. Figure 1 depicts Intel’s first fashion wearable a culture that seeks fashionable items that we can show off
collaboration with Opening Ceremony: “MICA delivers and this is going to prove to be the driving force behind the
discreet text messages, Gmail VIP notifications, tech industries’ design approach. Figure 2 depicts the
Facebook calendar alerts, Yelp recommendations, and fashionable Altruis notification ring by Kovert Designs; it is
even a "Time to Go" feature that sends smart first and foremost stylish. The collection is built using a
appointment reminders based on location.” [2] modular system; there is an electronic circuit board inside
the stone, which connects to iPhone via Bluetooth.
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Figure 2: Altruis notification Rings by Kovert Designs
March 17, 2015, New York, New York, USA.
Copyright 2015 Jenna Demchuk
FASHION SHOULDN’T BE AN AFTERTHOUGHT Simply put, the fashion industry dictates how people should
The main objective of wearable tech is to enable look. It also has power over consumers’ spending habits
interactivity around our bodies [5]. We live in our clothes; and can greatly influence what appeals to the consumers.
they are part of our identity, style, and livelihood. The next Wearables face a fashion problem, proving to be a major
step in wearable tech is gearing towards redefining the barrier to adoption: function over form. As shown in Figure
purpose of clothing; we must put fashion first when 4, the Nike Fuelband with rose gold embellishments
effectively accompanies and compliments non-tech
considering clothing to be the interface of navigating,
accessories, a proven success for Nike in injecting fashion
communicating, and entertaining ourselves and our bodies.
into their designs.
Critical components such as pricing, battery life, and
fashionable aesthetic are highly important for wearables to
achieve mass-market adoption. As a natural step in our
technology evolution, we are ready to integrate this very
powerful computer, the smart phone, into ourselves rather
than carrying it in our bags, hands and pockets. By closing
this human-tech gap, technology will get to know us better
through sensors, becoming faster and smarter for us. Bill
Stewart argues, “As we’ve grown accustomed to having the
computing power of our smart phones with us at all times,
it’s only natural that we’d look for more convenient
methods to carry them wherever we go.” [7]. Altruis by
Kovert Designs is a successful example of this. Figure 3
shows the collection that allows you to decide when you
want to be alerted through the accessory regarding your cell
phone notifications.
Figure 4: Nike Fuelband black and rose gold limited
edition
THE MOBILE
Today, the smart phone acts as an extension of us. Our
culture has become so dependant on this device that we
rarely go anywhere or do anything without them. Scott
Campbell explains that the mobile has become part of our
personal and physical identity, “For some, the aesthetics of
a mobile phone is regarded as a reflection of their sense of
style. In addition, it can become an important part of the
physical self by extending the body. In fact, many users
speak about and treat their mobile phones in ways that
humanize and make them organic, like body parts.” [3]
Upon arguing what is viewed as fashionable and
Figure 3: Altruis – Cleopatra Collection by Kovert appropriate, the future use of technology according to
Designs analyst Saverio Romeo is that, “Too many technology-led
companies see wearable devices as simply the next wave of
Today’s market for wearables is beginning to take on new smart phones or accessories and pay lip service to aesthetics
challenges and advances, though the category has yet to and style. Current market forecasts are based on a smart
fully take off because lack of desirability and fitting in with phone-centric view of wearable technology. But while these
personal style. In order for wearable tech to excel, fashion devices may have some smart phone functionality, they will
companies must better integrate with the technology be much more than smart phones.” [4]
industry. According to fashion technology analyst Clair
Duke-Woolley, “There is a real difference between making WHO’S DOING WHAT
technology wearable, versus making technology products
that are desirable and genuinely engage with consumers Many designers are paving the way for fashionable
through good design practice. It’s time for the fashion wearables. In the realm of clothing, products such as
industry to embrace technology and for tech companies to Heksoskin, Smart Shirt by Ralph Lauren, and Solar Shirt by
realize that they can’t do it on their own and need the Pauline van Dongen (Figure 5) have all been launched
knowledge and influence of major fashion brands.” [4] within the last few years.
Figure 5: Solar Shirt by Pauline van Dongen
Figure 8: The Final Frontier: Google Glass in Vogue
September 2013
There are a group of fashion brands that have successfully
collaborated with the tech industry, having injected tech Fashion technologist Amanda Parkes notes trailblazers of
into their fashion accessories. Tory Burch took her wearable tech today: “Companies like MC10, which is
signature ‘T’ branding and created elegant cases for FitBit making wearable “circuit tattoos,” and Modern Meadow,
as seen in Figure 6. which is growing leather in a lab, as well as people like
Suzanne Lee, the founder of Biocouture.” [5] The next step
for wearables shall gradually shift from injecting fashion
into tech to digitizing our clothing.
WHAT’S NEXT: FIBRE SCIENCE
Why are smart textiles and fiber science (but not gadgets)
the future of wearable tech? How is the fashion industry
going to capitalize in this realm? These are the questions
Figure 6: Tory Burch for Fitbit being asked among major players in wearable tech industry.
So far, fashionable tech mainly exists in the form of jewelry
accessories, on our wrists, necks and fingers. It is our
Similarly, Rebecca Minkoff has also taken on a high-end clothing and apparel that the focus is shifting towards. A
tech accessory: Case Mate (Figure 7). Other collaborations popular belief among leading fashion technologists such as
include Google Glass and Diane von Furstenburg, as well Amanda Parks and Nancy Tilbury, is that in order for
as Google Glasses’ surprising 12-page spread in Vogue wearable’s to truly excel, the technology has to be deeply
(Figure 8). embedded into our clothing, textiles and fabrics. The
advances of fiber science have the ability to integrate fibers
and electronics with research in material science and
nanotech processes [5]. Parkes has a finite vision for this
collaboration: “We can now construct textiles with fully
integrated circuits as well as the material properties and
functionality we associate with high-tech fabrics.
Furthermore, the evolution of wearables towards smart
textiles will allow us to explore the entire landscape of the
body, moving beyond the wrist and head. It will also help to
make the technology invisible, which will create an
amazing perceptual shift.” [5].
In the interest of combining traditional fashion production
methods with new technologies, Intel has launched “Intel
Inside’ model, which aims at creating new components and
materials such as flexible circuits, fiber batteries, soft
connectors, and conductive textiles. By offering to promote
Figure 7: Rebecca Minkoff for Case Mate
upcoming technology and the Intel brand, their outcome is
that two brands collaborating prove to be stronger than one forming by fashion and tech industry leaders such as Intel,
[1]. This model creates business opportunities in the Apple, MC10, Modern Meadow, Suzanne Lee.
wearable’s market and continued development in the
fashion industry [5]. The path to market virality begins by simply addressing the
problem at hand: to spark interest within consumer culture
Nancy Tilbury of Studio XO is a huge advocator of the for wearable’s, the device has to provide real functional
digitization of clothing. Her vision of the future of value, or be perceived as so hip that it’s worth the
wearables consists of decreasing the size of our wardrobes. investment.
Considering the speed at which we are switching up our
fashion and adopting new trends, Tilbury wants to
reconstruct this continuous cycle of trend-changing with VIDEO: RESEARCH COLLAGE
“Tumblr for the dress”, as shown in Figure 9.
Fashion Future Tech Collage:
Figure 9: Tumblr for the Dress by Studio XO https://vimeo.com/122441222
Making the surface of our clothes transformable, and
wearing the surface of the computer on our bodies to both REFERENCES
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CONCLUSION wearable-tech-needs-fashion-collaboration-and-
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