From I Robot to High Fashion

Blogging Day 5: Wearable Technology

Fusing technology and fashion is not novel; the two have gone hand in hand since fashion first began. The body itself can be seen as a machine. Historically speaking, people used their own two hands to make clothing. Then there were inventions like the loom, which allowed women to spin and weave fabrics since the Neolithic Times (Leopoldina, F., 2010). Because of steam and waterpower, the process of making textiles changed drastically. After the Industrial Revolution and then mass manufacturing of Ready-to-Wear garments in the 80’s technology and fashion were forever bonded in society’s eyes. We can never separate the two now.

Innovation and fashion also go hand in hand. In a world where technology is everything to consumers, from our smart phones that tell us everything to our IPad’s and MacBook’s, wearable technology is just the next step towards a more technologically savvy society. Manufacturers, researchers, and others alike have taken textiles and made them “smart”. I personally find that we have not reached the limit yet. There are so many other things inventors have to come up with in terms of a mash up of fashion and technology. A lot of the products are not actually wearable or are for special purposes. Average consumers would not purchase some of the tech savvy fashion that has been created. This just makes me wonder why it was made in the first place but as humans we have a natural inclination towards exploration.  

Electronic textiles, “…explore[] techniques that redefine construction methods and streamline production processes.” (Berzowska, J., 2005). The consumers who have the purchasing power and influence on the fashion industry by accepting or rejecting something heavily impact the fashion industry. However, when it comes to wearable technology, the drive for better textiles sometimes comes from researchers who are trying to make a positive impact in the medical world or the military. Electronic textiles consist of the ability to “sense[], communication, power transmission, and interconnection technology allow sensors or things such as information processing devices to be networked together within a fabric.” (Berzowska, J., 2005).  There are always products that were created to cross boundaries and delete the limit between technology and fashion. The company Philips Smart Connections collaborated a variety of lifestyle jackets with Levi Strauss that are already for sale. The jackets are technologically forward with electrical parts to them like an MP3 player, unified controller, microphone and headphones, which can be taken out before washing the garment (Berzowska, J., 2005).

Fashion techies want “to take the concept of clothing as we know it to its very limits – integrating software, communication devices, sensors and speech-recognition systems into garments to make them think for the wearer.” (Quinn, B., 2002). Researchers want to go above and beyond and explore all potential future opportunities with technological fashion. Thanks to  “smaller, cheaper, and more powerful electronic components,” the possibilities for technological clothing are endless (Quinn, B., 2002).

Resources:

1.Berzowska, J. (2005). Electronic textiles:wearable computers, reactive fashion, and soft computation. Textile, 3(1), 58-75.

2.Fortunati, L. (2010). Wearable technology. Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion. 10.

3.Quinn, B. (2002). Intelligent fashion. Techno Fashion.