Visionmagazine by Barbara Santamaria

VISION FASHION FOR TOMORROW

£ 5,00

ISSUE 1

FEBRUARY 2015

EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LETTER / FIRST ISSUE / P. 5

Welcome What an exciting time to be working in the fashion industry! Many things are being created at the moment that seem like something out of a sci-fi novel, with more advanced technology and greater features than Isaac Asimov could have had ever imagined. Soon we will be talking about downloading our garments in files and producing them at home, or subscribing to more sustainable models. It may seem like it will take a while until we get there, but the truth is that everyday we are closer to a new fashion system. So donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fear getting out of the loop! Curating the most exciting stories from all corners of the globe, Vision will take you into an adventure where everything is possible. Here you will find new materials for clothing, sustainable production and technological design plus a healthy dose of out-of-thebox strategies developed by the visionaries of tomorrow. In short, here you will find the place where the future is being created. So set your traditional ideals aside and get ready to take a ride where everything can be re-designed and improved, where garments are made out of bananas and stylish watches can diagnose diseases Welcome to Vision. The front cover picture belongs to the photographer Marina Corpadean and was produced as an editorial for Silver City / Fashion Magazine This magazine has been produced as a graduate project for the Postgraduate Certificate Fashion Journalism at the London College of Fashion. Words, layouts, images and interviews have been produced by Barbara Santamaria unless otherwise stated. Advertising images are placeholders for real adverts.

BARBARA SANTAMARIA Editor of Vision

IN THIS ISSUE / P. 7

Contents

EDITOR’S LETTER In our first issue, Vision’s founder Barbara Santamaria talks about our magazine’s dream and heads up what the year will be about

FUTURE VISIONARIES The first of our rising talents’ series is Rhiannon Hunt, an environmentalist at heart who developed clothes out of food waste like fish skins and bananas

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW Matthew Drinkwater talked to us about wearable technology, smart clothes and why he is not excited very about fitness wristbands

TRENDING In the first part of our trending series we look at wearable technology and curate a selection of the industry’s most beautiful items at the moment

NEW MATERIALS A world made out of cotton would be snuggly but not very sustainable. New materials for creating fashion are out there and we brought them to you

TWITTER TALK We asked our readers what they would like their smartwatch to do and they answered! Take a look at their feedback on this issue’s Twitter Talk

THE FUTURE OF OUR CLOTHES At the crossroads between fashion and science fiction, we analyse what clothing will be like in the future and how it will interact with our bodies

Pictures credit clockwise from top-left: ©Rhiannon Hunt, ©Fashion Innovation Agency, ©Rhys Few, ©FIA, ©Lucy Mcrae ©Opening Ceremony

GENDER BENDING FASHION Men are wearing dresses and women rocking suits. It’s the sound of a new wave of cross-dressing fashion that will stirr up the game

INDUSTRY NEWS / P. 9

Fresh data WEARABLE TECH

WEARABLE TECH

Intel breaks into fashion territory

Montblanc launches an e-strap

At the CES 2015 conference in December, the tech company uncovered the New Spider Dress in partnership with Dutch designer Anouk Wipprecht. The 3D printed bodice holds a robotic prototype is shaped like spider legs, which react to personal space invasions through proximity sensors managed by Intel’s Edison chip. ‘I am showing how fashion can be thought provoking’, said Wipprecht at CES.

The Swiss brand best known for luxurious analog watches developed a new prototype with a strap that can display notifications, messages, phone calls and track physical performance. Connected to the phone via Bluetooth 4.0, the watch also features a touchscreen display to interact with it more easily. All this, with the look of a normal luxurious Montblac watch on the front.

DESIGN

John Galliano debuts at Margiela in January ‘It was brilliant’, said Anna Wintour to WWD. ‘He took the Margiela vocabulary and translated it’.

SUSTAINABILITY

New textile fund for Scotland

The governmental organization Zero Waste Scotland launched in January a fund to promote the decrease of textile waste for fashion designers. The award, that aims to support innovation in textile design, will provide grants up to 5,000 pounds to successful applicants.

WEAREABLE TECH

68,1

FASHION WEEK million wearable tech devices will be shipped worldwide in 2015, down from 70 million units last year, according to Gartner.

New York Fashion Week goes through changes

Not only will the famous catwalk change its location from Lincoln Center after February, Mercedes Benz announced it won’t continue sponsoring the event after this fall. A new era for Fashion Week New York begins.

TRENDING

INDUSTRY EVENT

The jewels in the jungle The battle in technology fairs to become the next ‘it’ device is fierce but only a few of them have what it takes. Stylish and useful, here is our selection 2015 INTERNATIONAL CES

A large section of this year’s products belonged to the wearable tech category, like smartwatches, fitness wristbands, trackers and technological clothes. But despite their advanced qualities, the feeling among the fashion experts after the fair wasn’t very enthusiastic. ‘These gizmos disappointingly failed to deliver for another year,’ reviewed Rachel Arthur the event for The Telegraph. ‘Designs are still clunky and basic functionality of most attempts remain unchanged. In short, what we’ve got is a series of “me too” devices – items that match in both what they look like and do’. A couple of items did, however, stand out for their design, like Ringly, the ring that receives mobile alerts, the Swarovski and Misfit partnership and the Jins Meme glasses.

SWAROVSKI SHINE

By Swarowski & Misfit Features: Motion and sleep tracker Prices: Between 169.99 and 249.99 on pre-order only Launched at CES in January, the partnership between Swarovski and Misfit developed into a line of shiny accessories that can be customized for special occasions. The tracker itself is the stone in the middle, which can be popped up and inserted in any of the collection’s accessories. www.misfit.com

Innovation brands and futurist gurus from every corner of the world met between January 6- 9 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. With an attendance of over 170,000 visitors, the innovation fair is one of the largest in the world, showcasing up to 3,600 exhibitors. Prototypes this year ranged from super-sized TV screens to high-tech drons and human-like robots, providing an exciting window to the future.

MICA By Opening Ceremony & Intel Features: Smart wristband with phone notifications Price:$495.00 Designed by Opening Ceremony and brought to life by Intel, Mica proves that techie doesn’t mean ugly. The luxurious bracelet features snakeskin, 18k gold coating and black pearls. It’s 1.6 inch curve sapphire glass screen, connected to an iPhone, shows incoming phone calls, messages and calendar. It can also run a search on restaurants and shops nearby in an association with Yelp. To make life easier, Mica comes with an USB cord, an wireless charging bowl and a cleaning case for the touchscreen. www.openingceremony.us

FASHIONABLE GADGETS / P. 11

RINGLY By Ringly Features: Mobile alerts and notifications through vibrations Price: $195.00 on Combining natural stones with technology, Ringly receives alerts on phone calls, messages and email notifications. It also offers four different vibration patterns to customize the experience and it comes in different colours. www.ringly.com

WEARABLES COLLECTION

By Rebecca Minkoff Features: Portable charger Price: $78.00 In gold and black, the studded iPhone charger makes charging on the go stylish and easier. Developed by Rebecca Minkoff and the technology brand, Case Matte, the stylish collection also includes devices in other colours and phone cases, to mix and match with outfits. www.rebeccaminkoff.com

51%

of consumers who are interested in buying a smartwatch said they won’t consider it unless it fits in with their personal style * according to the NDP Group

ACTIVITÉ POP By Withings Features: Walking, running, swimming and sleeping tracking Price: $119.95 on pre-order Unveiled at CES, this watch that looks like a classical accessory monitors physical effort, sending the information to an app. Its battery lasts 8 months without charging and it’s water resistant, plus it has a vibrating wake-up alarm. www.withings.com

JINS MEME By Jins Feature: Body data gathering from the eyes Price: Not retailed yet Developed by the Japanese eye-wear brand Jins, these smart glasses look like a normal pair by hiding their technology in the nose pads and the back of the ear pieces. Their sensors monitor eye movements to gather information on health conditions, feelings and even posture. www.jins-jp.com

MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS / P. 13

BIO-MIRACLES Bacterial Cellulose Organisms are the factories of the future, says Suzanne Lee, the founder of London-based Biocouture. Producing fabrics from a mix of yeast and bacteria, the futurist studio uses a fermentation method to grow a cellulose material that looks like leather. The formula, which can be made at home, includes yeast and green tea.

Mother of fashion

MAGIC CHEMISTRY The Unseen Challenging traditional concepts of future fashion in hands of technology, Lauren Bowker, founder of The Unseen, created a reactive ink that changes its colour when triggered by specific stimulus. The innovation was used in a gemstones headpiece created in partnership with Swarowski, which reacts to energy levels in the brain. Absorbing energy loss from the head, the ink coated stones react changing their tone.

Tiny triangular pieces in actual plastic shape a 3D printed dress developed by American experimental design studio, Nervous System. Called Kinematic, the structure not only allows the gown to flow like it’s made out of real fabric, but also makes it possible for it to be produced as a single piece, as it folds like an origami figure inside of the printer. The dress is customizable and fluid.

3D PRINTING Nervous System

FOOD SOLUTIONS Qmilk Milk would probably be one of the most unexpected places to think of when developing new fabrics, but German company Qmilk did it and the came out with a normal-looking soft fibre. Produced out of milk proteins, Qmilk is a biopolymer that claims to be biodegradable, antibacterial and moisture absorbent, besides of being sustainable as it only uses 2 litres of water to produce 1kg of the fabric.

SHINY LEDS Richard Nicoll x Disney Developed with help of Studio XO, the British designer Richard Nicoll produced a collection for Disney inspired in Tinkerbell that had a bright ending. Made from a fibre optic material and activated by high intensity LEDs embroidered within it, the slip dress sparkled its way trough the runway. ‘This project is a stepping stone to designers genuinely using hi-tech materials within their collection as a matter of course,’ said Head of FIA, Matthew Drinkwater.

What is fashion without its materials? Nothing, that’s why at Vision we take a look at the materials that are changing the industry

TRENDING

Bows and ties

dants and Kit Neal with earrings, following the man jewellery trend started by Grace Wales Bonner, who embellished her men’s apparel with chunky necklaces, hair accessories and silvery bracelets in her Spring 2015 collection. Meanwhile Gucci created a ‘wow moment’ in Milan with a runway that was very androgynous. Presenting menswear designs that looked girly-like and female models walking alongside males, Gucci managed to blur completely the lines between both genders.

‘I think it’s time to forget the traditional codes associated to gender in fashion.’

Join the party with your partner’s favourite item and mix it up with something of your own. Things are getting messy in the fashion department with a massive wave of cross-dressing coming The London Collections: Men in January proposed a colourful mix of styles in the menswear department for the upcoming fall, but perhaps more interesting were the not-so-subtle womenswear references across several run-

ways. Sibling made a case in shocking bright pink including shoes, socks, jumpers and fur coats, while designer Lee Roach produced ballerina-like black flats for fellows. Meanwhile, Coach styled the models with pen-

At this point in time it seems almost safe to say that men’s clothes are turning more like womenswear and vice versa. 2014 set a good start for androgyny with a healthy quota of ambiguous fashion: Rad Hourani launched the first ever unisex Haute Couture collection in Paris, two movie icons -Angelina Jolie and Emma Watson- wore black Saint Laurent tuxedos to attend film premières, and the normcore movement drove the fashion crowd towards a neutral land ruled by standard jeans and white cotton t-shirts. But with the high-street getting in on the act too, the unisex trend takes off this year with a new meaning: now anything goes in the game of fashion. 2015 will see people getting into whatever they want -whether its Loubutin shoes for hairy legs or neutral unisex garments suitable for everybody. It’s a real game changer, a splashing revolution against gender defining apparel. ‘I think it’s time to forget the traditional codes associated to gender in fashion and to be free to wear what makes us feel like individuals,’ says Nikki Jessup, a footwear designer at the London College of Fashion. ‘The idea is not to make women’s shoes for men or men’s shoes for women [...], it is to stop using these categories and really get creative and unique’.

STYLE

/ P. 15

So a new era when gender is not de- ists like Jared Leto at sics, while boutiques fined by the clothes you are wearing the forefront of the like Personnel of begins with an explosion of options new ambiguous look. New York are launchand confident shoppers who dare to Eyebrows might have ing ‘for everyone’ borrow their clothes from the other been raised when he categories. sex. According to Marks & Spencer, wore sparkly golden 50% of their men’s underwear is cur- slim-cut jeans and Whether it’s chunky rently being purchased by women, a pink cowboy boots earrings for men or figure that shows that embarrassment from Chanel’s womgender-neutral trouno longer plays a role when buying enswear collection sers for an ambigclothes from different sections. This, to its Haute Couture uous clientele, this despite the fact that it’s difficult to tell show in July, but seems to be ‘a thing’. whether women are buying the prod- it felt fresh. Kanye Will it mean more ucts for themselves or for a third per- West had previousbinary collections in son. ‘While it’s virtually impossible to ly rocked a Céline fashion weeks and measure the market for unisex clothes, womenswear shirt new clothing catethere’s also no denying that a market and Miroslava Duma gories? And what is exists’, wrote Lauren Sherman in Au- graced the streetgoing to happen to Miroslava Duma © Style.com gust for Fashionista.com. style photographers last the concept of fit? ‘I buy women’s jeans because I’ve got year with a J.W. Anderson piece from ‘Clothes that can be worn by both men super skinny legs, so they fit better’, his Fall 2014 menswear collection. and women are easier to create and says Rhys Few, a fashion photogra- Where once androgyny was celebrated can be more comfortable than regular phy student. ‘It’s quite conventional on the stage, from Marlene Dietrich, clothes because they have loose cuts’, now and actually I know a quite a lot who made the tuxedo her signature explains Thays Neves, a pattern-makof guys who do style in the 30’s, ing supervisor. the same.’ Since now the focus is the rise of street on the streets. ‘The tag doesn’t matter’ style in 2010 a Hanna Winkler, a psychology student lot of people Arguably,the re- from Germany who has been putting are now explorvamp was due to on men’s boxers for sleeping for almost ing new styles high-end players. three years now, agrees. ‘I don’t care if and silhouettes J.W. Anderson the boxers are for men, for women or without mindstarted warm- for something else. I just found a moding for whom the ing up the mo- el that feels comfortable and I wear it. clothes were detors for the trend The tag doesn’t matter.’ signed. ‘Clothes with his Fall 2013 are becoming collection of rufMAIN PHOTO trans-seasonal fled pants and Credits and lines are rapleather dresses, idly starting to while Alexander Art direction: Barbara Santamaria blur. For instance, Wang provoked Photography: Rhys Few we sold a lot of the reverse effect Make-up artist: Ed Mellor Givenchy girls’ with boxers-like Model: Robyn Fitzsimons sweaters to boys shorts in beau because they blue and white in liked the graphhis Spring 2014 ics’, said Judd runway. It didn’t GUCCI © Style.com Crane, director of take long for the womenswear and accessories at Sel- high-street to follow suit, though they fridges to Vogue UK in December. toned it down by offering gender-neutral options for a clientele that doesn’t A trend for everyone feel identified with traditional ways of Flirting with unconventional ward- dressing. Urban Outfitter’s is a brand robes is an art for celebrities, with art- that is known for stocking binary ba-

PROFILE

TOMORROW’S VISIONARIES / P. 17

Weaving sustainable dreams TED Selects prize winner Rhiannon Hunt thinks food byproducts might be the key to a sustainable fashion industry

Bright yellow bananas, juicy pineapples and a glass of milk on a table. Most people would look at this and consider it a healthy midday snack, while Rhiannon Hunt sees endless possibilities for the fashion industry. Pineapples can be used to develop pineapple silk, bananas have the potential to be turned into a fibre material and milk’s protein makes a white soft yarn. All this and more knows Rhiannon, a 26 year-old textile designer with dark hair and friendly ways who created a collection of clothes produced out of materials from the food industry. The collection received an award by the Textiles Environment Design research cluster and Rhiannon became one of the leading voices of her textile design generation at the Chelsea University of the Arts. Quite a career change for the sustainability advocator who had previously become an environmental scientist at the University of Southampton. ‘There is only so much you can do with regulations and training, and it felt like I could impact more people by designing products that were more sustainable,’ she explains as she sits in a coffee-shop at King’s Cross station. ‘Nobody is going to stop buying clothes, so you have to move with technology and find options that are desirable for people to buy’, she says. So searching for new ways to make fashion sustainable and beautiful at the same time, Rhiannon developed a project that used fibres derived from agricultural waste, like pina silk, soy yarn, salmon leather, banana fabric and milk yarn; and natural dyes like black beans and avocados to colour the textiles. Finally, after a year of trial and error, the designer came up with a top, a dress and a coat, plus two fashion accessories that were truly sustainable. ‘I wanted to draw attention to the different materials that can be used for textiles’, she explains. ‘[These days] materials are so cheap to produce and so undervalued that people throw them easily in the bin and never see them again’. Attracted to the ideals of sustainability for the first time during a school trip to an eco-village, Rhiannon follows the Cradle-to-Cradle design philosophy, which was coined by the environmental gurus Michael Braungart and William McDonough in a book in 2002. ‘Ideally, a sustainable gar-

ment should be renewable, natural and biodegradable,’ she thinks. Unfortunately in terms of fabrics, the fashion industry is not up to those levels yet, with synthetic fibres ruling the market. ‘[...] Synthetics will never comply with a truly sustainable system as they are generated from non-renewable resources and are unable to biodegrade,’ explains Rhiannon. The second most used fibre in clothes is cotton, which takes a lot of water when produced traditionally. ‘Organic cotton is obviously a lot better, but to label it as organic it actually doesn’t have to be 100% organic,’ says the textile designer. So natural fibres are the way to go. Although usually unknown in European countries, materials like banana fabric and pineapple silk have a long-standing history. ‘In the Philippines pineapple silk is used as a traditional fibre worn in ceremonial events like weddings,’ says the textile designer. Despite their properties, they have been outcompeted by cheaper and machine-woven fabrics but they have recently started to become more mainstream, as new developments found new ways to manufacture them more effectively. It’s the case of Qmilk, a fibre produced out of milk protein that is allegedly biodegradable, antibacterial and soft as silk. Leather produced from salmon skins is also starting to emerge in the fashion industry., as it counts with good properties. ‘Salmon leather can be machine washed at 30 degrees and still maintain its shape,’ explains Rhiannon. ’It’s not exotic but it’s affordable and it’s a byproduct, which means that the skins that are normally thrown away can be used to make handbags or other things’. The environmental scientist turned textile designer works now at Braintree Clothing, an eco-friendly label that employs natural fibres like hemp, bamboo and organic cotton. She firmly believes that the fashion industry will adopt more sustainable ways and is confident that it can be achieved through technological developments. ‘People see fashion as something from the outside but if clothes can improve well-being or performance and also be sustainable, I think people would want to buy them. There is a lot of potential for textiles like that.’

FEATURE

Imminent shock Jackets that can protect you from germs and dresses that can change their patterns; fashion is changing very quickly and before we know it, clothing will be able to do more things than ever imagined There is less than half a century to go until 2062, the year when the futurist cartoon comedy the Jetsons took place. Created in 1962, the family showed how life could be in the future, including robotic house maids and flying cars. Less surprising, perhaps, were their clothes. Mr. Jetson’s cartoon character would wear conventional blue pants and a white shirt; Jane Jetson, a purple dress; their daughter Judy, a pink top with harem leggings and a green overall for their infant son, Elroy. Living in a glass house and working only an hour a day, the cartoon family represented what people in 1962 thought would happen to humanity 100 years later. We are not close to 2062 yet, but it seems like fashion is going far beyond what Hanna-Barbera could have imagined. More than just exciting cuts and colourful combinations, the clothing industry is bubbling with ideas for the future

with the launch of a new prototypes almost every month. To create future visions come true, studios and pioneers around the world are working to produce the next big thing that will come to be indispensable for the masses and change history. Much like the blue-jeans revolution, which became a wardrobe staple around the globe for years to come. The difference is that now designers are leaning to another kind of creation, one that not only covers your body and keeps it warm, but also offers it something more. ‘The latest generation of fashion designers is tech-driven, sustainable and challenging traditional concepts of clothing,’ says Hanka Van der Voet, co-writer of ‘The Future of Fashion is Now’ monogram at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. ‘They feel that the traditional fashion system is not working for them - and for example thanks to technological innovations - it is possible for

THE FUTURE OF OUR CLOTHES / P.19

them to function outside of it and research new methods of creating fashion’. Indeed, finding unique ways to provide valuable new features in our clothes is the goal of the new wave of fashion designers. From jackets that can charge your phones to dresses that change their colours in reaction with air, the garments of the future will be less about covering your body and more about discovering the possibilities of technology. And people are ready for it: according to an Ebay survey carried out in July, 80% of its users think that technology will integrate more seamlessly with future fashion trends.

‘The new generations have grown up as athletes with high-performance fabrics, so they are kind of expecting them in other circumstances as well.’ ‘The new generations have grown up as athletes with high-performance fabrics, so they are kind of expecting them in other circumstances as well,’ says Gihan Amarasiriwardena, co-founder of the American label, Ministry of Supply. The brand, that held a major crowdfunding campaign in Kickstarter.com in 2012, supplies a piece that promises to be the next evolution for menswear: the Apollo dress shirt. It includes micro-encapsulated NASA’s Phase Change Material and responds to the wearer’s environmental temperature swings. In other words, the shirt regulates body temperature by absorbing heat away from the skin when overheated and releasing it back when cold, solving the problem of getting too warm sitting outside during lunch break in summer and too cold when going back into the air-conditioned office.

solve a problem with a solution embedded into the textile. ‘Functional clothing will become more and more common, whether it’s clothing with circuitry built in or just things like the antimicrobial fabric in our jacket, reflective trim for bike riders, or wrinkle-free fabrics,’ thinks Gravitytank’s Amy Seng. ‘Whether they become the norm or not will depend on whether they provide a real benefit to people at a reasonable cost.’ Understandably, new technologies are expensive and experimental prototype models usually take some time to be socially adopted. Whilst many may argue that plenty new fashion products out there are just gimmicks, levels of investment suggest otherwise. ‘The only challenge [of producing this type of clothes] is cost, and this will continue to fall as technology advances,’ thinks Central Saint Martins’ student, Will Verity, who created the concept of “Deimatic Clothing”. Mimicking animal defense reactions in times of danger, the product designer developed a jacket for female cyclists with LEDs and proximity sensors that make the lights flash faster as cars come closer. Though arguably extremely helpful, the collection hasn’t been produced yet. ‘There is definitely a call for these types of products,’ says Will. ‘I do not see any barriers in stopping people from using and embracing wearable technology into their lives.’

According to CCS Insight, worldwide sales of weareable-tech will grow 14 times from 2013 to 2018, with an estimated of 250 million smart devices in use by the end of that period. Including smartwatches, wristbands, wearable cameras, glasswear, tokens and jewellery, these figures don’t even include technology-embedded clothes –a category that is rapidly gaining more producers. Among experimental studios is the American Utility is at the forefront of the new inbrand Tommy Hilfiger, which recently novation. For the next generation of apbecame the first fashion label to explore © Dazed & Confused parel it won’t be enough to provide shelter from cold into the realm of tech clothes by launching a jackweather and cover our bodies, garments are now actually et to charge electronic gadgets on the go. The model, which being designed to make our life easier. Like the Germinator comes in a male and a female size, features water resistant jacket, a waterproof coat that for the price of $223.20 will flexible solar panels on the back and a cable that runs to protect you from unwanted germs and parasites in public a battery pack in the front pockets, connecting to an USB transit. ‘The garment has an antimicrobial liner on the col- port. lar and sleeve cuffs’, explains Amy Seng, one of the creative directors of the project. Developed by the innovation firm, Gravitytank, in partnership with Betabrand, the jacket was Going sci-fi crowdfunded in October and received over 180% backing. It is only to be expected for more pragmatic tech fashion Interest for utility apparel, it seems, is definitely there. to come. After all, it makes total sense: a garment that not only covers your body but builds a technological layer on it While a Germinator jackets is a fun idea, it does not promise to supply solutions for life. But will a generation that is obto be 100% effective, but it counts as an early attempt to sessed with novelty ever be ready to adopt garments that

THE FUTURE OF OUR CLOTHES / P. 21

are meant to be kept? Francis Bitonti, the designer of a 3D printed accessory line that is launching in February, doesn’t think utility is the way to go. ‘It is not going to be like those old science fiction movies where everyone wears the same clothing. People don’t want to wear the same jacket,’ he says, probably remembering the cast of Star Trek with identical shirts in blue, red or gold.

‘It’s not going to be like those old science fiction movies where everyone wears the same clothing. People don’t want to wear the same jacket.’ Well, maybe technology won’t allow that to happen. Clothes could become highly customizable, thinks Studio XO, an innovation lab in London. Creating futuristic projects with micro robotics that only slightly peek into their visionary minds -like a flying dress for Lady Gaga and a gown that exhales real bubbles, the design duo of Nancy Tilbury and Benjamin Males believe in a future that could change the direction of the fashion industry completely. ‘The ‘Generation digital’ wants to consume very fast, actually the reason why they are going into big shops is because of the speed they want to switch up their fashion. And if the surface of their clothes is transformable, would they really need to do that?’ says Nancy Tilbury in The Next Black documentary. Working at the cutting edge of fashion and technology, Studio XO’s vision is highly valued in the industry for their exceptional convictions. ‘We will soon be able to change the fit of our clothes at the push of a button, or our clothes could

form new architectures around us,’ predicted Benjamin Males to Dezeen in April. While Studio XO’s predictions sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, technological customizable garments are actually a fact. Since 2008, the British brand, CuteCircuit develops ready-to-wear gowns with tiny electroluminescent elements that can screen different patterns. In its Fall 2015 collection, shown at the New York Fashion Week, the label launched its newest piece: a dress that is connected to a smartphone app via Bluetooth, allowing it the wearer to change the colours and display of the garment. ‘All of a sudden, these surfaces that you’re wearing, these textiles, become alive,’ said Francesca Rosella, CuteCircuit’s co-founder to Dezeen in August. ‘They allow you to express yourself, suiting your mood and the situation you’re in with your friends.’ Integrating technologically customizable clothes like these to pragmatic apparel could theoretically grow to become an answer to the future of our clothes. If the prices are managed to be kept affordable, that is. As Gravitytank’s Amy Seng puts it: ‘people won’t replace every one of their t-shirts or pairs of jeans with “functional” versions if they cost twice as much. Most of the time, clothes just need to be clothes’. MAIN PHOTO Credits Art direction: Barbara Santamaria Photography: Rhys Few Make-up artist: Ed Mellor Model: Robyn Fitzsimons

©CuteCircuit

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

Matthew Drinkwater: ‘If I see another fitness tracker I think I’m going to kill myself!’ Wearable devices will help you take decisions over the next five years and clothes will be able to receive contents uploaded to them in real time, thinks the head of the FIA

This January has been certainly busy for Matthew Drinkwater, the head of the Fashion Innovation Agency. Staying ahead of the curve is important for the consultancy division of the Centre For Fashion Enterprise, which is why Drinkwater has barely been in one place during the first month of the year. First stop was Las Vegas, to visit the colossal international technology fair, CES. Next was London, with its London Collections: Men, where wearable technology debuted at the runway with Casely-Hayford’s collaboration with phone-charging XOO belt, a partnership managed by FIA. Finally, it was the turn of the Digital-Life-Design conference in Munich, that networks science and culture businesses with opinion-formers and influencers. All these just to start a year that promises to be huge for wearable technology, with the launch of the Apple smartwatch paving the way and every second technology brand releasing their own fitness wristbands or trackers.

How do you describe the current scenario of wearable tech in fashion? Is still very early days of wearable technology, this is only the beginning of what will be a revolution. Right now there is a big amount of products being created but there is a huge gap between what is being produced and what is de-

sired by the wider population. I think that a lot of the consumer brands which are producing products are concentrating on what a device can do rather than how it looks. And ultimately for a product to be successful it has to be able to combine both functionality and form. So what will happen over the next years is that you will see a huge number of partnerships between technology companies and fashion companies trying to breach that gap and trying to design products that are much more aesthetically pleasing.

What exciting new products did you see at the International CES in Las Vegas?

What I saw was a lot of wristbands. If I see another fitness tracker I think I’m going to kill myself! At the moment wearables are almost entirely stacked around the health and fitness angle, which is really limited. I think something like 80 per cent of all wearable wristbands are being disused after one year and this is because it’s simply not enough for that technology to tell you what you are doing. What was more interesting were the developments around the technology that will allow us to create more products. I think that the problem that is holding the industry back is that the technology has some battery issues at the mo-

WEARABLE TECHNOLOGIES / P. 23

ment. And as the technology becomes more adaptable and more able to be built into materials and fabrics, then you see these things start. So at CES Intel released their new processor called Curie, which is really interesting. If we can get a hold on that and play with it, it will allow us to do more interesting types of things.

What kind of things?

Well, for wearable technology, its ability to connect what’s around us is very important and its relationship with the internet is crucial. Until we become a much more sensor-focused environment, when there are more sensors around us enabling the products to connect to more things, then wearables will begin to move forward much faster because they will be able to do more. I think what devices will have to do over the next 5 years is become much smarter and rather than just telling you what you are doing, they will start to guide you in your decision making. But they will only be able to do that when they begin to pick up data and use that data from lots of different touch-points.

What are your predictions for this year?

Inevitably you will see a huge amount of devices, like wristbands and smartwatches. Now that’s not particularly exciting, but it’s an area where every manufacturer is producing something. I think what is more interesting are head-based devices, like hearables, but personally I am more excited about pushing forward with our smart clothing projects. During Fashion Week in September, FIA unveiled its up until now most beautiful project: Richards Nicoll’s Tinkerbell, produced in partnership with Studio XO and Disney. Made from fibre optic material and including built-in LEDs, the dress glowed in the dark with a magical pixie dust effect, producing a wild reaction on the public.

How did the project come about?

When we made the Tinkerbell dress, our starting point was how to use technology to make it beautiful and nothing else. A lot of people were asking us: what does it do? And it didn’t do anything, it was just a very simple material but we used a couple of techniques to create the effects. Certainly for smart- garments it will have to be about how it looks and obviously fashion is about people’s perceptions so ultimately you are going to have to want to buy that product, so you have got to fall in love with it, it has to have an emotional connection.

Why aren’t more designers exploring into the realm of tech-clothes? I think at the moment a lot of people are looking at wearable technology being just one device that you will use be using, but it won’t be that. Technology will be built into gar-

ments, allowing them to connect to each other and to the environment around it. That technology is being used right now but its very performance based where there is a need to see some kind of results. And that’s where the industry in terms of fashion is stopping at the moment because, if people don’t see a direct need to have it, the product isn’t going to production. At the Fashion Innovation Agency we are working in some really interesting projects at the moment around connected clothing and being able to deliver content to your clothing in real time.

How does that work?

It’s basically done trough Beacon technology, but rather than Beacon going into your mobile phone it will be going to your clothing. So let’s imagine that you could go to Topshop to buy a t-shirt and then when you visit the store again, it senses when you are in proximity and it triggers some exclusive content from that retailer, which you can then download to your sweater. Beacon is actually beginning to be adapted by retailers at the moment, but in smartphones. I think Liberty is doing a test around their loyalty card so it connects your mobile phone and your get messages sent to it.

Do you think this type of clothes that can change their pattern with the push of a button will become mainstream in the next 10 years? Yes I do, certainly within ten years. But no consumer wants to look like a robot, so we need be able to find ways to integrate new features to our clothing in a more natural way. And ten years from now, your clothes will be able to do more and that will become the standard way of going about your life. Actually if you think about it, our clothes can do a lot now. We talk a lot about wearable technology but look at what Uniqlo is doing with heattech for example. That technology is built into clothes already and nobody really knows about it, they just accept that the clothes are like that. And that is how I think the future will be.

Intel’s Curie is a tiny computer in the size of a button that has processing power, Bluetooth and censors, and has been designed to operate wearable devices FIA is a division of the Centre For Fashion Enterprise, London’s greatest startup incubator. FIA takes care of generating partnerships between designers and commercial brands

TWITTER TALK / P. 25

Find us on Twitter! @Visiondaily

Watch my dreams Smartwatches will allegedly becoming massive this year, but are they giving us what we want? At Vision we would like our watches to be smart and sustainable. And you, what would you like your smartwatch to do? Louise @LouiseSquire1 @visiondaily A watch that alerts you of meetings & appointments. Saves checking your phone constantly! #wearabletech Ainsley Chapman @ainsleyellen I’d like my smart watch to read texts and emails for me. Oh, and also tell me time! @visiondaily #wearabletech

Camila Burky @CamilaBurky How about changing its colour to match my outfits? So I could use the same watch for the gym and later to a date! Perfect! :) @visiondaily Raquel Gremler @RaquelGremler @visiondaily my perfect smartwatch should have a tracking device and a waterproof camera! & reminders of events, so im never out of the loop #wearabletech Madeline Distasio @MaddieDistasio @visiondaily I’d love a smart watch that has the typical iOS & Android capabilities but doesn’t look hideous! A sleek option. #wearabletech

Xapharius Phoenix @Mihai Suteu @visiondaily I’d like it to detect fabrics, tell me how to wash them properly and an alarm for when the laundry is done! #fashion #wearables AlexandraClaire @alexandra_dade @visiondaily I would like to have a built in running monitor- how far I have run, distance etc it’s hard running with a phone #wearabletech

IN THE NEXT ISSUE / P. 27

Soon... 3D PRINTING FASHION

What are the features and challenges of virtual files containing clothes? At Vision we will take a closer look at home-produced garments and how it will affect manufacturing businesses.

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

Visionary co-founder of Studio XO, Nancy Tilbury talks to us about clothes that we can subscribe to and interactive garments that can react with the push of a button EXPERIMENTAL SHOPPING

What’s up with Selfridges new cinema and Topshop’s nail bar at its flagship store in Central London? Are the ‘slash’ stores the new fashion shop?

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