25.

You Will Literally Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve

In 2015, fashion is actually going to make you want to wear wearable tech.

By Jesse Finklestein

In the last few years we’ve seen the advent of wearable technologies; Fitbit, Opening Ceremony’s MICA bracelet, Google Glass all offer the ability to connect with others, to monitor one’s health, and to entertain. 2015 is the year we’re going to see more effective and less visible forms of wearable technologies—like the fabric-based Softspot by Moonlab (a fellow New Inc. member), which can seamlessly provide information regarding light exposure, vitals, and geolocation to your phone and other devices.

A few months ago, I read Bruce Sterling’s The Shape of Things. In it he discusses the advantages that this sort of consistent and connective technology can have on our future. Collecting information in real time can help states allocate resources more efficiently, monitor vitals to manage the spread of disease, or allow for new gaming experiences that elide the virtual and the real. Alternatively, these technologies could prove incredibly dangerous and predatory if states and corporations abuse this real-time date.

But these are the questions that fashion will be forced to address. The moment when “wearables” shift from a fashion accessory to an unobtrusive fabric technology, fashion designers will be implicated in a wholly new project of social organization. While I’m not sure of the outcome of this project, I’m most excited for 2015 to be year that fashion designers fully engage in this dialogue.

Jesse Finklestein is co-founder of Print All Over Me.