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How designers are changing the face of fashion with technology

As we enter the world of Web3, the fashion industry gets a tech-led makeover

In the last few years, the fashion industry is undergoing large-scale changes as a direct result of the rise of technology. Gucci, for instance, is paving the path towards technological innovation by investing in gaming, creating arcade games through its app and a virtual shoe-design platform called Sneaker Garage. Meanwhile, activewear brand Lululemon acquired Mirror—a wall-mounted screen that streams fitness classes as a new way to engage with their customers in 2020. In the same year, Balenciaga launched its fall collection through a video game and even collaborated with gaming platform Fortnite to create exclusive fits for gamers’ avatars. Earlier this year, Indian designers Manish Malhotra, Anamika Khanna and Raghavendra Rathore and Pankaj & Nidhi joined the NFT (non-fungible token) bandwagon by embracing blockchain technology in order to connect with more tech-savvy audiences. With big luxury labels like Etro and Dolce & Gabbana embracing the universe of Metaverse, we take a look at how designers and brands in India are using innovative technology to forge new creative avenues to sell to the new-age consumer.

Akshat Bansal's three-dimensional rendering of his design, in collaboration with Paris-based creative studio Scotomalab

Akshat Bansal's three-dimensional rendering of his design, in collaboration with Paris-based creative studio Scotomalab

Akshat Bansal's Bloni has a vast repertoire of textile experiments which contains a range of futuristic textures and finishes

Akshat Bansal's Bloni has a vast repertoire of textile experiments which contains a range of futuristic textures and finishes

The fabric of innovative tech

In 2020, Ukraine-based Daria Shapovalova and Natalia Modenove launched Dressx—the largest digital fashion store that carries 3D clothing collections from designers all over the world, including New Delhi-based designer Sidharth Sinha. His label N&S Gaia stands for nature and sustainability which he tries to incorporate through the use of technology. “Fashion is about change and we believe in bringing something new with each collection. We introduced Clo3D because, apart from digital being the future of fashion, it also has a lot of sustainable value attached to it,” says Sinha.

For designer Akshat Bansal, technology is the core of his brand Bloni, which is evident through his interactive website. After participating in the digital-only Cyber Fashion Week last year, Bansal collaborated with Paris-based creative studio Scotomalab for a three-dimensional rendering of its designs. Although working hand-in-hand with technology, Bansal’s approach is more holistic. “There’s a distinction between using technology to improve production, versus conceiving design, concept, philosophy and aesthetics that’s technology-oriented. We’re on the lookout constantly in terms of materials and processes, and also emerging technology use across disciplines,” he says. Material innovation has also been the focus of his brand with his collections created from econyl—a regenerated nylon and its variant vita Econyl,as well as vegan latex, electroplated nickel chainmail and, not to mention, the use of reflective technology in his clothing.

Many designers are using technology to create wearable products from unique materials. Rimzim Dadu’s structured steel-wired sarees has led her to be known as a 'progressive texturist'. New Delhi-based designer Gaurav Jai Gupta blends Indian textiles with materials like steel and metal for his label Akaaro. Amit Aggarwal also uses industrial materials, including fabric made from recycled PET bottles to create sculptural designs. British designer Stella McCartney recently made it in the news for teaming up with a US-based material solutions company called Bolt Threads to launch the first mushroom leather bag, made from Mylo—a root-like structure of fungi. As the industry faces a reckoning with its environmental and social impact, designers are reimagining processes across the value chain in an attempt to reinvent themselves.

“TECHNOLOGY HAS USHERED IN AN ACCELERATION OF THE TREND CYCLE, AND THERE’S AN OBSERVABLE RISE OF NICHE SUBCULTURES THAT PEOPLE FIND A SENSE OF BELONGING IN"

Akshat Bansal

Sidharth Sinha introduced Clo3D because apart from digital being the future of fashion, it also has a lot of sustainable value attached to it

Sidharth Sinha introduced Clo3D because apart from digital being the future of fashion, it also has a lot of sustainable value attached to it

Sidharth Sinha's digital rendition of his collection for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Russia 2021

Sidharth Sinha's digital rendition of his collection for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Russia 2021

High-tech for high-fashion

With our physical world being increasingly intertwined with the digital world, designers and brands are experimenting with technology like never before. Artificial intelligence, one of the biggest technologies across all industries right now, has found its way in fashion too. Retailers have adopted a new mindset of viewing AI systems as creative partners rather than independent designers. In 2018, Tommy Hilfiger announced a partnership with IBM and the Fashion Institute of Technology for ‘Reimagine Retail’ which used IBM AI tools to decipher real-time fashion industry trends, customer feedback and themes in trending patterns, silhouettes, colours and styles. Stitch Fix—an online personal styling service—is already at the forefront of AI-driven fashion with its ‘Hybrid Design’ garments. These are created by algorithms that identify trends and styles missing from the Stitch Fix inventory and suggest new designs, based on combinations of consumers’ favourite colours, patterns and textiles, for human designers’ approval.

IoT (Internet of things) is another fascinating technology that has waltzed up the fashion industry. IoT automates our world by allowing us to interact and connect with everyday objects as well as customers, manufacturers, companies, and stores by employing the internet. Like smartwatches, imagine clothing that can detect your heart rate during workouts or a baby outfit that can monitor your child’s sleep patterns or vital functions. Amazon’s Echo Look incorporated this technology to provide a hands-free camera and style assistant with Alexa, offering a style check for obtaining a second opinion on the users’ outfits.

"FASHION DOESN’T MAKE MUCH PROFIT, TO BE HONEST. BUT WITH THE HELP OF VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES, IT’S POSSIBLE TO RUN A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS”

Sidharth Sinha

For the fashion industry, technology is like an open playground to explore. “Technology has ushered in an acceleration of the trend cycle, and there’s an observable rise of niche subcultures that people find a sense of belonging in”, says Bansal. “Given that we are living in the realms of tangible and virtual, everyone has curated their audiences and, in effect, become a performer. Digital fashion’s utility here becomes instrumental,” he adds. For Sinha, the use of technology is also adding to the industry’s potential to become more sustainable. “If I am designing for a specific client anywhere in the world, it’s easier to show them the pieces in 3D form rather than doing a few samples and fittings and sending them across. This also eliminates the idea to make an entire physical collection of 20-something pieces. Fashion doesn’t make much profit, to be honest. But with the help of various technologies, it’s possible to run a sustainable business,” Sinha concludes.

Also Read: Why the smartwatch has become the most popular wearable tech

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Also Read: Everything you need to know about fashion NFTs


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