Fashion Intersects With Technology: Smart Jacket, Smart Watch…

Fashion Intersects With Technology: Smart Jacket, SmartWatch…

Technology has propelled the growth of human society in innumerable ways; from the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter to advanced robotics and health care.

Technology has rapidly assumed the status of an arguably indispensable and highly effective tool in the modern era.

Clothing has always been both a necessity with regard to human civilization and a means of showcasing one’s culture and interests.

A wide array of different styles of clothing is now possible, aided by powerful technological tools that supplement and shape the creative ideas of fabric designers.

Imagine wearing a computer in the form of clothing, like a jacket. Now it is possible.

Smart Jacket

The clothing manufacturer Levi Strauss & Co. partnered with technology company Google to create what is being called a “Smart” jacket. The word ‘smart’ is often used to describe actions controlled by a computer. What makes this jacket “smart” is washable technology added to the cuff–the cloth encircling the wrist.

Ivan Poupyrev heads the smart clothing project for Google.

Features: When somebody calls you, your jacket vibrates and gives you lights and you’ll know somebody is calling you”. A touch on the cuff can provide directions for helping you get to where you need to go. The jacket also can play music when combined with a mobile phone, headphones and a small piece of removable computer hardware. “You get the most important features of the phone without taking your eyes off the read,” said Paul Dillinger of Levi Strauss & Co.

The Levi’s smart jacket can be purchased on the internet for $350. It is just one step to smarter clothing. Poupyrev explained that Google plans to use the technology for any kind of clothing. He added that the company is working with other partners in the fashion industry to help to make their products connected.

It is no coincidence that the Fashion industry has caught the eye of the technology sector. Amazon, Apple, and Google, three of the biggest names in tech, are all trying to carve their own path into the fashion space.

SmartWatch

Apple has its fashionable smartwatch, including a collaboration with luxury brand Hermes. Amazon powers a shopping platform and voice-controlled cameras, and Google is leading conductive fabrics as seen in a smart jacket collaboration made by Levi’s.

All of which is to say, the line between these two industries is blurring. Now more than ever, it feels like high-tech fashion is on the verge of being more than just a gimmick.

In the not-too-distant future, you could even be 3D printing your own shoes or clothes at home. Instead of going to a store, you’ll buy designs straight from the designers.