Futurera : Technology can turn the fashion industry inside out
I have to admit. This is way better than I anticipated when I first heard of THIS .
On Sunday Nov.29th, downtown Toronto, Futurera has taken its place, the result is a night club esque environment filled with artists chitchating, technologist displaying, models cat-walking in front of audiences, and elegant dressed waiters serving beautiful ladies at the corner. It’s a blast to see how this show is put together, that how it manages to combine technological trade show environment with fashion showdown.
This may not be the first time that a hybrid fashion show has taken its place. Let’s face it, fashion is weird and technology is disruptive. However, it sure is different. We all know how hard it is to please everybody. If the show focuses too much on the fashion side, then the technical innovators will feel outcasted and ignored, and the audiences will draw no interests to the actual technology rather than the flashy effects, if the show is too technological oriented, then it will hardly distinguish itself from successful competitors such as We Are Wearable, Digifest, Augmented Reality Expo and so forth. And if a show is targeting everybody, that includes every age group, gender, ethnicity and educational background, it would confuse the exhibitors as how they portray their project/product. All in all, If a show can’t target its intended audiences perfectly, then it’s basically a lose-lose situation for everybody. Luckily this show knows what its audience is, and it dares to bring difference to the exhibition genre.
First, it targets at the young adult who are tech-savvy and beauty conscious, inviting incubators and potential investors so they can form connections with the exhibitors. Secondly, the show treats itself as a high-level nightclub, with wine and snacks that the audience can enjoy while watching the show. Finally, the show has a wide variety of exhibition, from app games to tech oriented teddy bear, everybody would find his interest at the show.
So how is it hold up? As both an interviewer and an exhibitor of the show, I would say I had a blast. My first hand experience is that people are genuinely interested into the technology, connectable, easily excited, and having more the interaction with the exhibitor such as myself. The atmosphere, although it’s simple, but effective. It excites the crowd and feed them into useful information in between. The fashion part is phenomenon, and the showdown has been terrifically executed.
Now let’s talk about the technology shall we. For starters, Vega Edge certainly gets my attention as it seamlessly blends itself from everyday clothing. The nice little node it has to the disco era and the fashion of lighting. VERSA , on the other hand, explores the extreme of art by blending audio and visual, the result is a mixture of randomness and coherence, all blended with complex geometries and distinctive colors. Speaking of audio/music art, we can’s forget Mogees , the device that will turn everything into a music instrument, a technology that will definitely fit the Meta society that connect everything with human being(for more information about the Meta society, read the definition below). Now into my favorite, ExoGlove , the technology that aims to transcend VR technology by delivering real time 3D control. Imagine the usage of it in the industrial world, namely surgery practicing, pilot training or consumer usage, such as a kickass gaming controller. Let’s be honest, I totally wouldn’t want to miss that when I play my GTA chasing sequence. If you are interested into my project, please let me keep it a secret , let’s just say that I am currently creating a technology that aims to make people smarter by improving the excitability of neurons in the human membrane (yes that’s the thing I am wearing in the pictures), well I think it’s getting too technical, so let’s leave it there.
This show is a perfect demonstration of the new millennium’s view about the technology world, it’s fun, ambitious, energetic. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it always has that wild factor that draw people’s attention in. The wearable showcased are well designed, the pitches are perfectly formed, and of course, the audience are probably the best I have seen in terms of energy and passion, probably because many of them have an art background, if that’s the case.
Technology has come a long way from its massive and only-for-nerd root. In today’s world, technology has proved to be disruptive to other industries. The emerge of iphone has changed the mobile industry, the design of Fitbit has changed the way we view health monitoring, and soon fashion will follow its footstep. Artists have already experimenting with technology such as Kinect and Myo to create interactive music and games. It’s just a matter of time before every artists embrace technology as a mean to express their inner art. This show is just a start, a tip of the iceberg, and peek of the true potential of technology. And we can believe that if these type of shows get more attention, I am sure this world will be a better place and we will be seeing more disruptive and innovative technology happened.
For those who are interested into the description of the entire exhibition, please READ : Futurera 2015: how to create the synergy between and among the industries.
Reporter: Hang Wu| Editor: Synced
