Wearable tech needs both engineers and stylists

It’s time to bring together fashion designers and stylists with engineers and nanotechnologists if devices like smart glasses and smart watches are to become objects of desire for the mass market, says Beecham Research.

While technology solves problems and enhances our lives, it is aesthetics and brands that create emotions to make objects desirable, explains Saverio Romeo, Principal Analyst at Beecham Research. Beecham recently published a report on the future of wearable technology and is an official research partner for The Wearable Technology Show in London next March www.wearabletechnologyshow.net.

In a new video published today: Wearable Technology: Towards Function with Style, Beecham’s Romeo calls for new partnerships between the technology and fashion industries to drive a new era of wearable devices that will shape our lives and become the interface between us and our environments. ‚”Wearable devices, implanted objects and body extensions have been part of science fiction for years: but technology has now caught up with a new generation of user interfaces, smart materials, low-energy sensors and ubiquitous connectivity that make these visions a reality,‚” says Romeo. ‚”But we are at a tipping point and unless there is a serious morphing of technology and aesthetics, we will not be able to harness the full potential of these innovations.‚”

As well as smart watches and glasses, Beecham Research predicts that wearable tech will find its way into a wide range of applications across seven key sectors: safety and security, medical, wellness, sport and fitness, lifestyle computing, communications and glamour. It will also change how we view, select and purchase fashion items by creating a new consumption experience where wearable devices will play a critical role. ‚”It’s time for the fashion industry to embrace technology and for tech companies to realise that they can’t do it on their own and recognise the power and influence of major fashion brands,‚” says Claire Duke-Woolley, Fashion Technology Analyst at Beecham Research ‚”This is the age for wearable devices – but only if these two worlds come together.‚”

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