Wearable technology is a lot more than fitness trackers and smartwatches—and when it meets high fashion, watch out.
On Wednesday in New York, the Wearable Technology Fashion Show featuredtechnology integrated and sewn into apparel in brilliantly colorful and imaginative ways. Organized by Tech in Motion, an event series for local tech communities across the U.S., the show presented 3D printed work, LED clothing, Google Glass, and more in new, unusual and often striking fashion designs.
This mix of apparel and tech represented the innovative soul of fashion—a look into future possibilities of where style, clothing, and accessories might take us in the years ahead. The future of fashion is truly tricked out with tech.
This knockout pair of onyx kicks are from the creative minds at ContinuumFashion, a Manhattan-based group that specializes in unique 3D printed shoes that are “not just for the runway.” Projects in queue for the fashion-meets-printing company include 3D printed bikinis and dresses.
New York City’s TheLaserGirls has taken the current and obsessive trend of nail art and translated it into the world of 3D printing. These nails, pictured above in a royal blue nylon, have a stylized pattern that protrude from the nail in true 3D fashion. Painted nails enthusiasts, listen up—with 3D printing, now every nail art look can grace a hand.
San Francisco-based company Sensoree works to achieve “extimacy” through its brightly-lit apparel, a portmanteau for “externalized intimacy.” Sensoree blends apparel with a dash of human emotion, mixing in a splash of installation art for good measure. The group uses sensors to read the wearer’s excitement levels, and connects these sensors to display LED lighting in an array of bright colors for the ultimate mood halo.
Designer Asher Levine, known for his menswear designs, also has a true taste for wearable tech. In the past he has collaborated with MakerBot to introduce the world’s first 3D printed sunglasses.
Here, his Grenade Bag is outfitted with TrackR, a Bluetooth device that syncs up with your iPhone or Android app to monitor the bag’s location. The bag, which comes in a black or yellow design, is made of a “neoprene compound.”
Corrected, 3:21pm PT: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the Wearable Technology Fashion Show. It was produced by Tech in Motion, an organizer of local events for technology communities across the U.S.
Lead image courtesy of ContinuumFashion; other images by Olivia Christina Photography for Tech in Motion. Additional reporting by Lauren Orsini for ReadWrite
