Making Big Waves in Wearable Technology by Paige McKirahan
From Armani smartwatches to Levi’s smart jackets, the fashion world is seeing technology as its favorite trend in what is reshaping the fashion experience. As we know, wearable smart accessories typically connect to your devices via Bluetooth, but what if they used radio frequencies and the internet to allow your garments to do more than just check your iPhone’s notifications or count your steps?
One company that is working to answer this question is Avery Dennison in collaboration with fashion label Rochambeau. At the Decoded Fashion Summit last year, these collaborators unveiled their latest creation: the smart bomber jacket. The piece, which they dubbed the Bright BMBER, is equipped with an NFC chip created by Dennison that acts as a sort of radio transmitter, allowing it to be scanned. This in turn gives the wearer access to exclusive events around New York including VIP art shows, clubs, and even the designer’s runway show at New York Fashion Week.
Rochambeu’s golden ticket, the Bright BMBER
Avery Dennsion is running with this idea of internet connected fashion and wants to break away from smart accessories, bringing more of a focus to apparel and the shopping experience. The RFID tags created by the company use radio-frequencies and are being implemented in many garments and the stores that sell them, elevating the consumer experience tenfold. Shoppers can try on apparel and the RFID tag will connect to one of the mirrors in the store, giving the buyer the opportunity to learn more about the garment, how it’s made, or how to style it.
It has even been predicated by Andrea Bell, the director of consumer behavior for forecasting form WGSN, that wearables will soon be a thing of the past. She says that, “we won’t need wearables, it will just be in our clothes.” This new technology gives way to an untapped layer of branding that could open doors to experiences that would take the industry to the next level. Who knew radio frequencies would become trendy!
Photo credit to qz.com
