adminSAN FRANCISCO — Models wearing Google Glass eyewear, Pebble smartwatches and other hot gadgets strutted a catwalk late on Monday as Internet technology continued to merge with the world of fashion.
A Digital Fall fashion show here marked the close of the first Glazed Conference devoted to setting the stage for wearable computing startups to become billion-dollar businesses.
“It looks like technology for the sake of technology is dead,” said Eliane Fiolet, co-founder of popular technology news website Ubergizmo.com and organiser of the fashion show.
“People want a great piece of technology that works well and looks great.”
Companies are increasingly tuning into desires for sophisticated gadgets that also let people express personal styles, she noted.
Jawbone lets people customise colours of Jambox wireless speakers that synch wirelessly to smartphones, tablets or laptop computers.
Nike allows people visiting its website to design their own athletic shoes and matches some sports attire with wearable devices that track daily active for those chasing fitness goals.
“There will be more and more integration with fashion and technology,” Fiolet said. “We are just at the very start of it.”
She believed that Google has touched on a winning formula with Google Glass Internet-linked eyewear, which have become a fashion trend in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley areas.
“We are in the next stage of human evolution,” said Glazed Conference organiser Redg Snodgrass, co-founder of Stained Glass Labs startup accelerator devoted to revving up the wearable computing industry.
“Entrepreneurs are not those nerds living in a closet anymore,” Snodgrass said as the fashion show was about to commence in a club not far from Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco. “They are out there pushing the limit. Anything that is technologically fascinating is sexy, and fashion is tied to that.”
While fitness has been a winning theme for early wearable computing devices, such as UP and Fitbit bracelets for providing feedback on whether people are hitting activity and sleep goals, Snodgrass thinks films and games will be the next areas to catch fire.
The one-day Glazed Conference was intended to bring together entrepreneurs, investors and others to explore ways to realise ideas and make money in the world of wearable computing.
“Not only did they show up, they brought the heat,” Snodgrass said of the turnout. “They brought some great stuff.”
Among the attendees was self-described ‘‘cybertechnician’’ Tyler Freeman, who sported Drum Pants lined with sensors that let him play percussion beats by slapping various spots on his legs. The sensor strips are held in place with Velcro, meaning they can be swapped between pieces of a wardrobe, he explained.
“The goal is to get banned in public schools; then we know we are a success,” said the San Francisco-based entrepreneur.
Technology and fashion need to be combined tastefully to make for a winning creation, according to Fiolet. — AFP.
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