DESIGN NEEDS TECHNOLOGY IF WE WANT FASHION TO EVOLVE
BY YARINA YAO
Fashion Fall 2016 has over-the-top and lacking of good-taste cutting, proportion, and silhouette, but French fashion label Courrèges made a smart move this season at Paris Fashion Week. The fashion house’s AW 2016 collection was designed by designer Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, and thank god, technology probably saved this season’s mess.
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The two designers did a great job of attracting demanding fashion consumers by introducing a trio of self-heating coats. These tailored winter coats (one black, one pink, and one checkered), each has with a power-control button on the left bicep that activates a heating system. It can be charged with an iPhone cable, and lasts for six hours. "We started to think about the future of fashion, because design needs to work hand in hand with technology if we want fashion to evolve," Vaillant told luxury e-commerce site SSENSE in an interview, "The way we make clothes needs to evolve if we want more comfort and well-being." This definitely showed the brand's DNA: André Courrèges, the label's founder, is remembered as a great innovator, thanks to his forward-thinking garments that included vinyl. |
Warming outwear may be new in high-end fashion world, but not in the sportswear world. Outdoor and athletic wear brands, for example North Face and Columbia, have been designing the self-heating jackets for a long time. Similarly, Uniqlo has its tried-and-true range of HeatTech basics, made of a moisture-wicking fabric that keeps heat in. |
Back to the designs, the new collection from Courrèges is definitely way more stylish than any other warming athletic wears on the market now. Simple cutting and silhouette are the main focus of the self-heating collection. The fitted jumpsuits look similar to the ones that were featured in popular Sci-Fi movies, for instance, Star trek in the 1980s, featured diamond-shaped cut outs on the waist and elbows, created a sexy version of the futuristic. Some of the garments were designed with see-through stripes to connect pieces, creating 3D effect and futuristic shapes. Wearable and comfortable are the most important goals the brand wants to bring to its customers.
Besides design, a ready-to-buy offer is a great outcome that technology brings to the industry. This season brands have been announcing “see now, buy now” collections that are usually no more than a handful of pieces. Courrèges has 30. People no longer need to wait for months to get the products after ordering, instead, they get the pieces they want right away. It’s a big change for the customers as well as the fashion industry.
Technology is seriously changing the fashion world, even half-a-century-old brand is willing to follow the future trends. Without doubt more possibilities between fashion and technology are going to be explored in the future, Designers, are you ready?
Technology is seriously changing the fashion world, even half-a-century-old brand is willing to follow the future trends. Without doubt more possibilities between fashion and technology are going to be explored in the future, Designers, are you ready?