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Tech you’ll want to wear: Why the future of fashion is now

Wearable tech has fashionably expanded beyond rubber workout trackers and awkwardly minimal eyewear. Odessa Paloma Parker reveals five key ways applied science is affecting how clothing and accessories are created and worn, from intricate necklaces crafted with a computer to handbags that change colour based on their surroundings. Plus Globe Style examines how tech has changed the industry in so many ways, from the runway to photo shoots. (Fashion photography by Mark Binks)

ODESSA PALOMA PARKER

This article was published more than 7 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

RESPONSE UNIT London-based brand The Unseen mixes finery and innovation with their luxe shoulder bag. It features a circle of ethically sourced Italian alligator skin treated with an ink that changes colour according to fluctuations in temperature. The use of technical materials that react almost magically illustrates a growing interest in creating clothing and accessories that respond to external stimuli. Made-to-order alligator should bag, £3,750 through www.theunseenemporium.co.uk. Jacket, $1,095, trousers, $1,750, and shoes, $745 at Max Mara (www.maxmara.com). Top, $4,104 through www.muglerusa.com. Stefano Poletti necklace, $690 through www.ruepigalle.com. Apple Watch Sport, $399 at Apple.

RESPONSE UNIT London-based brand The Unseen mixes finery and innovation with their luxe shoulder bag. It features a circle of ethically sourced Italian alligator skin treated with an ink that changes colour according to fluctuations in temperature. The use of technical materials that react almost magically illustrates a growing interest in creating clothing and accessories that respond to external stimuli. Made-to-order alligator should bag, £3,750 through www.theunseenemporium.co.uk. Jacket, $1,095, trousers, $1,750, and shoes, $745 at Max Mara (www.maxmara.com). Top, $4,104 through www.muglerusa.com. Stefano Poletti necklace, $690 through www.ruepigalle.com. Apple Watch Sport, $399 at Apple.

Drone aerial video service by SkySnap (www.skysnap.ca). Filmed using DJI OSMO and photography by Mark Binks. Styling by Nadia Pizzimenti/judyinc.com. Makeup and hair by Claudine Baltazar for Plutino Group/Face Station, Toronto. Model, Aluad at Lang Models. Art direction by Benjamin
MacDonald. Fashion editor, Odessa Paloma Parker.

READ MORE: Where does wearable tech go next?

Designer Anouk Wipprecht uses technology to explore how human beings can connect with one another through what they wear.

Designer Anouk Wipprecht uses technology to explore how human beings can connect with one another through what they wear.

FIT TO PRINT 3D printing is still a novel concept in high fashion, but the ambitious, eye-catching jewellery designs from Toronto-based brand Daniel Christian Tang align with the luxury market’s growing interest in the customizable, on-demand technique. “The brand began with bespoke services and has since branched out to small batch production,” says Mario Christian Lavorato, one of Daniel Christian Tang’s co-founders and designers. The approach is “very much in line with the whole maker movement,” says Shauna Levy, president of the Design Exchange, which staged an exploration of the technology in 2015. “It’s a call back to the past, but reinterpreted in a futuristic type of way.” Necklace, $1,500 through www.danielchristiantang.com. Coat, $5,990, shoes and sunglasses, price on request through www.akris.ch. Altuzarra dress, $1,795 at Holt Renfrew (www.holtrenfrew.com). Sarah Loertscher bracelet, $525 through www.ruepigalle.ca.

READ MORE: Snap decisions: How photography has shaped the history of fashion – and its future

PRECISION CUT High-end Swiss fashion label Akris partnered with experts at VOJD Studios, which produces 3D printed jewellery, for its line of intricate silver and plastic rings. “I see 3D printing being part of the definition of what luxury is today,” says Levy, attributing its value to the costly and time-consuming nature of the process. Silver ring, $495, nylon fiber ring, $295 through www.akris.ch. Dress, $10,749 at Louis Vuitton (www.louisvuitton.com).Sunglasses, $395 through www.smokexmirrors.com. iPhone 6, $899 at Apple (www.apple.com).

TRACK STAR Blingy brand Swarovski was founded in Austria in 1895, and its first foray into wearable fitness-focused tech combines a classic aesthetic with 21st-century functionality. A water-resistant set of two bracelets is accented by a detachable “activity crystal” that measures daily movement, syncing the data to the wearer’s phone to generate progress updates. Deluxe Activity Crystal Set, $189 at Swarovski ( www.swarovski.com). 3.1 Phillip Lim jacket, $930 at Saks Fifth Avenue (www.saksfifthavenue.com). Pants, $240 through www.somkong.ca. Earrings, $1,250 through www.patriciawong.ca.

READ MORE: Timeline: What happens when technology hits the runway?

JENNA MARIE WAKANI/FOR THE GLOBE AND MAIL

CLOSE CALL After missing a slew of urgent calls during a dinner, Christina D’Avignon looked down at her own accessories and wondered “if only my jewellery could be smart, and do more than just decorate me.” She launched Ringly in 2014, a jewellery brand banking on the modern preoccupation with constant contact. Its pieces connect to smart phones via Bluetooth technology, allowing the wearer to receive call and text message notifications via the tingle of a finger. Ring, $195 (U.S.) through www.ringly.com. Dress, $11,065 through www.marykatrantzou.com. Emmeline Hastings earrings $840 through www.ruepigalle.com.