Hypebae
From SYKY’s collaboration with KWK by KWOK to Private Policy’s AI ranchwear.
From the metaverse to NFTs to AI-generated imagery, keeping up with the evolving cycle of technological innovations and their increased presence in the style industries can feel all encompassing. But, between deepfakes and mixed realities lies a truth that feels relevant for all of us: fashion’s use of technology as a medium allows designers to explore, question and expand our collective understanding of creativity.
From the metaverse to NFTs to AI-generated imagery, keeping up with the evolving cycle of technological innovations and their increased presence in the style industries can feel all encompassing. But, between deepfakes and mixed realities lies a truth that feels relevant for all of us: fashion’s use of technology as a medium allows designers to explore, question and expand our collective understanding of creativity.
While we don’t yet know what’s in store for upcoming Fall/Winter 2024 showcases, given what’s already been launched, we can’t wait to see fashion and tech come together to create wow-worthy designs, collaborations and concepts.
Watch this space as we’ll be updating it when more fashion tech stories drop on the runways across cities. And while you’re here, check out our coverage of Private Policy’s beauty backstage.
Adobe’s Animated Dress Hits The NYFW Runway
Adobe‘s Primrose dress broke the internet when it first released in late 2023, both as an early adopter for haptic AI-embedded clothing and a promise for what’s to come at the intersection of fashion and technology. At New York Fashion Week, Adobe partnered with Christian Cowan to release the first completely wearable garment using Adobe Primrose technology. Crafted by laser-cut tools, Adobe Illustrator and After Effects, the chrome dress changes shapes from petals to stars using computational mapping, allowing it to become animated in real time. Cowan shares in a press release, “I am honored to be the first designer to showcase how this impactful technology can be used to bring fabric designs to life in ways like never before.”
Private Policy Explores The Wild Wild World of AI
For its FW24 showcase, the New-York based label Private Policy compared the untamed era of America’s 19th century Wild West to that of today’s era of artificial intelligence. Inspired by the juxtaposition of nature and technology, the team involved luxury hardware in to the collection through the use of 3D silicone textures to metal weaving. Bonus points go to the team for collaborating with Gentle Monster, one of the leading labels using emergent technology as a concept and tool, as the eyewear choice on the runway. Amidst automation anxiety of what’s to come with AI the team shares, “There is hope at the end of this tunnel!”
SYKY Taps KWK by KAY KWOK and Taskin Goec for a Phygital Showcase
Kicking of London Fashion Week with a phygitall twist, luxury fashion platform SYKY worked with KWK and Taskin Goec for a mixed reality drop. As a part of the showcase, KWK produced both physical and digital versions of three of his past designs for Beyoncé, Björk, and Karol G. Partnering with the British Fashion Council, SYKY will host an event dubbed “Worlds Collide” to celebrate the merging relationship between fashion, technology and blended realities. Alice Delahunt, Founder and CEO of SYKY shares in a press statement, “Consumers can support these visionaries by purchasing both physical and digital versions of garments, which can then be translated into whichever world or reality they wish.”