Top Five Digital Fashion Trends For Designers and Brands To Keep In Mind
We highlighted five trends that will reshape the fashion industry in the near future or have already started to change how we view clothing and the ways we design, manufacture, buy and use it. From color changing fabrics to ring signaling a new message in WhatsApp, it’s wise to keep all these trends in mind as it will undoubtedly impact the field.
New innovations may sound as a lot of money as it now requires a great amount of material and scientific resources and time of highly qualified being poured into getting the results. Well, yes, it may, but let’s consider the pattern of the world’s technological development which has been consistent throughout ages. Any expensive thing, be it car, plane, personal computer, cellular phone or whatever else, was getting cheaper and thus more affordable for ordinary people. Even in poor countries people sometimes have two smartphones with unlimited access to the Internet — that’s something which seemed to be unimaginable just a decade ago.
Smart Jewellery: No More Sense In Asking What’s Her Favorite Color For Pendant
Choosing a ring or a necklace is a time consuming process. It can be easily explained: you have to find a standout that you like and that fits your clothing and lifestyle. It’s preferable to have a few of them for various occasions.
The same is right for other jewelry items in your collection, be it brooches or rings or bracelets or whatever else.
Modern fashion inventions are going to save you a hell of time by offering garments which change color or an image whenever you want. Smart jewelry, or high tech jewelry, for example, means that a medallion contains a built-in display which like any other monitor or a screen can show different images or be of different color. Which images and which colors and where do they come from? They all are in your smartphone which you download them on and then choose one you want right now or at some moment in the future to fit your clothing or mood or jewelry. This may be even a photo you took with your phone which you transfer to your bracelet via Bluetooth. Just look at how it works here (https://www.liber8tech.com/product).
That’s incredibly convenient and doesn’t require any additional knowledge or expenses on your part. A smart jewelry item is usually supplied with a long serving lithium battery which can be easily replaced by new one, or supplied with power via a wired or wireless charger. You needn’t have many different jewelry items for every occasion and pack them all in a suitcase when going on vacation or a business trip. One piece fits all — that’s what it’s about.
The segment is still in its infancy, you’ll hardly find a lot of accessories now on offer, but we are sure the supply will grow. What about the matching demand? It will also come. Beyond any doubts. The snowball had already started rolling down the mountain.
Changing Color Clothing
Apparel which can change its color or “broadcast” programmed messages or images now start to turn heads of occasional passers-by who might think that what the person is wearing is not really made of fabrics. But it’s made of them, though yes, people are right to some degree too as these fabrics or threads are not usual, these are smart ones and often accompanied by LEDs.
Possibly, the first case when apparel with a color changing capability drew attention of a wide audience was the appearance of a world known singer and artist Nicole Scherzinger at the launch of the 4G network in London in 2012. She was performing in what was called the “first Twitter dress” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5aP_5xmmQ8) as her clothing with LED embedded in it was displaying tweets hashtagged #tweetthedress.
The Schrezinger’s success was primarily due to the use of LED which is not that convenient, of course. We doubt you would want to have LED-packed clothes and bothers associated with it. But there is more exciting news in the field: scientists invented those smart threads we’ve already mentioned. The thermochromic pigments make it possible to change the color (https://www.sciencealert.com/new-smart-threads-can-change-the-colour-of-your-clothes-instantly) of your T-shirt while this T-shirt will stay for you clothing you’ve got used to, we mean, without any considerable changes regarding your feel and comfort.
As a result, garments with easily changeable colors and images are expected to be marketed soon. No need for shirts of different color or T-shirts with various signs on it, one thing will be enough in your wardrobe.
Well, it seems like a breakthrough in the world of fashion with huge positive effects on our everyday life. Nonetheless, there may be some obstacles for the technology to be widely used. The main threat may come from regulative bodies, first of all, the police who might not want for people to wear such clothing as it makes it easier for someone, who committed in a public space, to escape. Another reason may be a possible overuse of the technology: just imagine a walk in a crowded street with everyone switching color of their outfits. Just like a kaleidoscope! Not sure we’d love to see it.
Clothing With Solar Panels Embedded
We think you know how solar energy systems work and what solar panels look like. Now try to think of putting small solar panels onto your clothes. For what? For getting additional energy to be used, for instance, for recharging your smartphone or a music player. In any case, you’ll face no problem in figuring it out how to spend energy from the sun; and engineers seem to have been able to invent method enabling you to collect it while going shopping and simply strolling around the streets of a sunny city. After all, it can feed your smart jewelry we’ve mentioned above or smart fabrics which can monitor your heartbeat or regulate your body’s temperature (down this post).
The only problem with solar paneled clothing is that it doesn’t look now like ordinary clothing even in case when you can hide the panel in a cloudy weather. A person wearing it resembles a character from the “Star wars” movie (https://www.dezeen.com/2013/12/11/wearable-solar-fashion-by-pauline-van-dongen/), let alone he hardly feels comfortable (we didn’t ask, but we doubt if he does). Should we then dismiss this trend as one lacking in prospect? Obviously no, as flexible panels are coming, and the fashion will say its word (https://www.fastcompany.com/3065785/what-if-your-clothes-were-a-solar-panel) to make it more comfortable.
Innovation Textiles To Protect Your Body
In the “After Earth” movie people who represent generations living long after us wear apparel which warns about dangerous, signals crucial changes and does other things aimed at providing safety.
Right now, an area where efforts by designers and brands are focused is the thermoregulation (http://www.innovationintextiles.com/temperature-control-fabrics-optimising-wearer-comfort-2013-edition/). It’s not about providing a higher level of comfort only, but also about safety in extreme conditions or reducing the risk of getting ill on harsh cold windy days.
Other directions for the industry to look into are clothing or jewelry which can inform you on various occasions. You’ve got an incoming call — your ring starts subtly vibrating. You’re going in the wrong direction — the color of your glove shifts from green to red. Your old mother’s heartbeat is accelerating — her clothes emit sonic signals, and so on. Smoke area? Your shirt begins to enhance filtration of the air (http://www.thefashionglobe.com/fashion-technology-to-purify-the-air).
A number of areas where smart apparel can be used is limitless, in fact, it’s everything where we need a piece of advice, like navigation, or an action like putting on a hat when sunshine gets too strong.
That’s one of the most interesting trends in fashion tech today. We only hope that a human being will not forget that he’s a human being which has “embedded” natural capabilities to control the environment around him. These capabilities need to be cultivated and trained from time to time in order not to disappear in the upcoming generations.
3D Printing: Design, Download, Print, Wear
3D printing technology works like this: you design something in a 3D format, then push a button and specialized equipment starts to produce it exactly what you designed (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/3d-printing-for-dummies-how-do-3d-printers-work-8668937.html). It manufactures it slice by slice, adding one layer of material onto another, so that’s why it is called “printing”.
Firstly, 3D prints were used to producing something solid like furniture or cups or toys. Later, fashion brands began to study the possibilities of the technology and revealed that it provides excellent opportunities both for them and consumers to get individual clothing which doesn’t need refitting (https://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/23/julia-koerner-interview-fashion-technology-3d-printing-haute-couture-ready-to-wear/).
A three-step process is evident: scanning a client’s body to “calculate” individual features, then integrate this information into design stage, and, finally, print it. Parlors, clothing shops or even individual households may turn into small factories where you can get a jacket of your size with the length of sleeves you want made of fabrics you like in a couple of hours. Need shorts with additional pockets for outdoor activities? No problem, take a drawing, choose materials, colors, add pockets where you need them, send drawing to the nearest mini-factory (if you don’t have a 3D print at home) and get your apparel in some time. Simple, fast. Cheap? We hope so, but have to admit the technology is in its testing stage.
That’s a great achievement for the fashion industry, known for its very long recorded history and innovative spirit, to be in the avant-garde of modern technologies. Movies about technologies, which still look unbelievable, are likely to come true. But for this future to arrive and turn into our everyday life, we’ve got to team up, join forces in coherent efforts.
We need an integrated platform for cooperation, something to let all the parties involved focus on what they are best at. Designers must produce designs, 3d-printers get orders which they print, artists create art content for displays built into clothing and accessories and other kinds of the wearable. And all this is implemented through the platform via the same interface for all the participants.
For example, when an artist uploads new piece of content, the product gets immediately accessible for every brand, from Zara to Gucci. A user would like to have fashion tech production of various brands? No problem, but for handling it in a convenient and effective manner, he needs a single application, not a few ones. That’s where POSH comes in as we’re creating such platform and ecosystem.
