The designs in this new line use wearable technology to bring style and function into the same place.
Engineers and designers have gathered around the world for the MakeFashion event that uses wearables in a way that is meant to be “augmenting the human experience” through a combination of form and function, according to the event’s co-founder.
The event took place in Calgary, Canada and brought runway fashions together with wearable technology.
This isn’t the first time MakeFashion has hit the runway. In fact, it was first launched in June 2012 by a team of three people from the Canadian city. For the fourth year, the gala has now been held at Telus Spark. Among the features that hit the runway were a range of different scientific wearables as well as stunning responsive runway clothing. Each was required to incorporate style and some form of practical application.
The wearables could cause the clothing to do everything to alter their colors to even changing shape.
The various options from the wearable technology allowed wearers to change the appearance of their clothing based on what they wanted or could even allow the clothing to respond to their mood by reading their brainwaves and offering a reflection of that mood through fashion expression.
Co-founder of the event, Shannon Hoover, explained that “You end up with a piece that looks amazing, looks beautiful, but has the technology that you would expect to see in wearable technology.” He also pointed out that the designs featured in this event had a focus on enhancing the “human experience” while making it possible for people to interact with their fashions and with each other with greater meaning.
Hoover pointed out that “Your FitBit, it tracks your motion and your activity, but it doesn’t do a lot about telling human stories.” The hope is that the pieces that were displayed on the runway would offer a greater ability for expression by the individual wearing the various pieces. The goal is to have the clothes tell the story of the person wearing them through wearables that are able to detect it.
As runways were stomped by models in cutting edge menswear fashions, wearables were also in the spotlight.
As the first ever Men’s Fashion Week was hosted in Toronto, all eyes were focused not only on the very latest and hottest in menswear, but were also on high tech wearable technology in a range of different forms.
Everything from LED helmets to brain-sensing headbands – and everything in between – was present.
Even a wearable technology tie made its way down the runway in the Canadian city’s fashion shows for men that took place at the Fairmont Royal York hotel. The wearables were spotted in a number of shapes and designs and were used for several different purposes. The primary show for this tech was presented by We Are Wearables, which is an organization that is based within the city. Its goal was to make this type of device more accessible to both consumers and businesses alike.
The purpose of the inclusion of wearable technology in the fashion show was to promote innovation and adoption.
This emerging mobile technology is already starting to change the way that people think about fashion and tech. Now, We Are Wearables is hoping to facilitate the incorporation of one into the other. The participation in Toronto Men’s Fashion Week was only the latest in a number of broad scale efforts being made by the company to bring these mobile devices into everyday life. It has also already been holding the largest recurring werables meetup in Canada. That now occurs on a monthly basis and boasts a community made up of over 1,300 members.
On the runway, the organization was hoping to be able to showcase the breadth of the spectrum of wearable devices, ranging from gadgets to allow the wearer to better understand him or herself, to providing improved visibility as a combination feature between style and safety.
Among the featured wearable technology devices that were seen include the Muse brain sensing headband from IntraXon to MeU LED panel infused clothing. The organization wanted to show that this type of tech is equally a matter of design and function and that fashion remains a vital element to the success of these gadgets.
