Naturally, when you think of technology and fashion, you don't necessarily put them together. However, fashion and technology are collaborating more than ever now. In the traditional sense we know that with the advancement of technology, it has made the production of clothing and accessories more efficient hence the reason we now have "fast fashion".
Yet what we are referencing is the actual merging of technology and fashion, where you are physically wearing technology either as an accessory or integrated into your clothing. From wearable backpacks with built-in Wi-Fi to jackets that charge your cell phone, below are a few of the growing fashion infused with technology items that are currently on the market.
1. Smart backpacks
Gone are the days of a simple canvas backpack that was considered "luxury" if it was on rolling wheels. Today's backpacks and laptop case have everything from Wi-Fi hotspots, USB ports, built-in hard drives to stream music and videos, Bluetooth speakers, and solar power to charge your phone just to name a few features.
2. Smartwatches
Probably the most used of all the wearable smart products is the Smartwatch. Smartwatches have the capability to not only tell time but stream music, text message, answer your synced phone, etc. Apple has even announced that their latest model of the Apple watch will have a built-in EKG sensor. Hereon Smartwatches has an amazing breakdown of all of the most popular smartwatches currently on the market. You can select the Smartwatch that best fits your personal style with the functions that you are looking for to add seamless mobility to your busy lifestyle.
3. Smart socks
Smart socks have been created to track your runs and workouts. They are designed to give you similar information as if you were running on a treadmill giving you detailed information on your pace, distance and time and even your running style. Maybe the best of the smart sock is a product called Owlet Smart Sock for babies 0-18 months. Bluetooth enabled that charges via a base station, this sock uses the same pulse monitoring technology used in hospitals to monitor a baby's heart rate, it monitors the baby to make sure his or her sleeping and breathing hasn't been interrupted which is a constant fear for new parents. The baby smart sock comes in three sizes, syncs to your iPhone or Android phone via an App to deliver the data in real time.
4. Smart clothing
Smart clothing ranges from activewear to streetwear. The biggest launch in regular street wear is Google's Project Jacquard platform that has done a collaboration with Levi's producing the commuter trucker denim jacket. There are the smart cuff and the Bluetooth tag that clips into the cuff which is where the technology is stored, other than that it appears to be a normal denim jacket. The jacket can operate your music library, give you navigation and that is just the beginning. Google plans to develop and add on to its functions. Other smart clothes like workout gear track your heart rate while remaining fashionable. Fitbit x Public School and Apple Watch x Hèrmes are just an example and are not the only high fashion tech wearables on the market.
It's safe to say tech is here to stay both in the business realm and in fashion!
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