Earlier this month I attended the FashTech Summit in London to represent UNSIGNED GRP and get the latest industry insights from marketers and brands who are shaping this exciting fashion technology landscape. When it was launched in 2014, FashTech was a simple meet up that focused on start-ups and panel discussions. Now, less than 2 years later and events across London, New York and San Francisco it really feels like FashTech has matured into a community hub for talent, research and bold new ideas.

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Fashtech 2016 - The Show

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The event took place in the heart of East London at Studio Spaces where the audience listened to presentations and panel discussions from the industry’s most disruptive and innovative thought leaders including Drew Elliot (the man behind Kim Kardashian’s attempt to #breaktheinternet) and Second Home co-founder Rohan Silva, who revealed the launch of a fashion hub in west London.

Over the course of the 2 days it became clear which trends are starting to dominate the industry. The influx of customer data now allows brands to use multiple touchpoints when analysing customer journeys and merging online and offline data together to create a more rounded shopping experience. The shift towards emotive content on blogs and social media has also not gone unnoticed with Kelly Kowal (MD Farfetch Black & White Division) saying "Wherever you discover you want to purchase. Publishers are slowly becoming retailers".

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Fashtech 2016 - Speakers & Guests

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Pia Stanchina @Google

"forward thinking Brands have to be 'in the moment' and interact with the consumer in real time"

Sasha Ternent

"Adopting a sustainability mindset is one of the biggest changes brands can make right now"

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Cherry Collins @Grabble

"Wherever you discover, you want to purchase. Brands are slowly becoming publishers and e-tailers"

Noemie @helloclausette

"New manufacturing methods such as 3D printing and intelligent fabrics are ready to shake up the industry"

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Fashtech 2016 - The Takeaways

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Virtual Reality

A big emphasis was placed on VR as a tool that will revolutionise retail. By placing the customer directly into an immersive experience it becomes easier for a brand to engage them and elicit a response such as a social share or an in-store purchase. Henry Stuart (Chief Executive of Visualise) said retailers can tap into VR to “create amazing experiences that push boundaries and create magical memories”. 3D scanning will enable customers to create virtual avatars of themselves which in turn can be used in virtual outlets. These outlets will allow customers to try on outfits with interchangeable backgrounds for richer shopping experiences.

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Customer First Approach

The importance of placing the customer first has never been higher. Brands are really starting to think creatively about engaging their target audience. Philip Handford (Founder at Campaign Designs) highlighted the importance of creating a destination store in order to attract and engage consumers. Philip actually predicted that in the future “high streets will become a series of immersive billboards and brand lounges that will capture people’s imaginations”. Mobile phones already know intimate details of our lives (location, frequent contacts, browsing and chat history) so combining this with shopping preferences is likely to yield great results.

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Thanks to everyone who took the time to chat and welcome me into the FashTech family. There are some exciting times ahead in our industry and I would love to have a chance to discuss potential work or influencer collaborations in the future. Feel free to reach out to me across any social channel or email Unsigned GRP on anton@unsignedgrp.com

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Over the past few years there has been a surge of fashion and technology amalgamating together to form what has come to be known as fashtech. Wearable entertainment items fused with clothing has become the latest trend sweeping across the world. Leading the way was of course Apple's iWatch and Google's Glasses, each having varying levels of success, but those were only the beginning. Wearable tech is taking off in such a way that other brands have taken note and are teeming with ideas.

Recently the CES 2016 event showcased many of these upcoming inventions, and with such a vast amount to pick from, we have carefully chosen our top 3 standout fashtech pieces from the show:

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CES - SAMSUNG SMARTSUIT

One such brand at the forefront of this pairing of clothing and technology is Samsung, not exactly a stranger to ever advancing technology, the brand has stepped into the fashion ring with a line of smart clothing. Leading the pack is their smartsuit, something you could envision MI6 creating for a certain double 0 Agent.

The cuff of the suit contains a near field communication chip enabling instant connection to your smart phone, boasting features and tasks such as exchanging business cards to clients or simply unlocking your phone as you remove it from your pocket. In the future, it is touted as being able to make payments with a flick of your cuff.

In addition to the suit, Samsung also unveiled a shirt with the NFC chip, primarily aimed at golf enthusiasts, giving up to date weather reports so they know just how long to play on course. Additionally monitoring your heart and breathing to keep a check on your health.

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CES - ORPHE LED SHOES

Next up we have the Orphe shoes, a spectacular pair of sneakers featuring LED lighting. Purchase Levitra online https://www.caladrius.com/levitra/ review. With a stark contrast to the endless fitness based fashtech shoes at the show, these are purely for entertainment purposes. The lights can adapt to the surrounding music, changing colours to the beat, ideal for dancing away at your local nightclub. The colours can also be manually changed via your smartphone, connected by Bluetooth. You thought Giuseppe Zanotti sneakers were out there, think again!

Another interesting feature is the inclusion of a 9-Axis motion sensor, enabling the shoes to record the movements of the user and whenever the shoe touches the floor. This feature is so the user can record 'scenes' to be able to share with others, the data produced is a combination of light, sound and movement. The final cool addition is the ability to add sound effects to when the shoe touches the floor, thus a virtual tap dance shoe can be created. Available in both white and black, a perfect plain canvas to showcase the illumination of the lights.

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CES - 2016 Memoni Memory Mirror

Finally, we have the Memoni Memory Mirror, personally this one is the most exciting and could potentially change how we shop for clothes in the future! This device can actually change the colour of the clothing product you are wearing whilst viewed in the mirror. No need to try on endless colours to get the right one for you! With a simple hand gesture or using a mobile app you can scroll through an unlimited selection of different colours and hues.

It also gives a full 360 degree view of the clothing as your reflection twists and turns. Hopefully soon department stores will start taking advantage of this unbelievable tech and begin implementing it. This could cut down shopping time in half and definitely something to keep an eye on.

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This post was written by Adam, a fashion, technology and retro gaming lover from the UK. Adam co-owns and writes menswear articles for Fashion Runway, a blog dedicated to designer and luxury fashion.

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