As New York Fashion Weeks closes its doors, the impact of technology in fashion is opening entirely new ones. The fashion industry is known for pushing boundaries in both aesthetics and design. It pulls inspiration from unconventional sources that are oftentimes off-kilter, explorative, and even futuristic. And depending on whom you ask, technology can be described using similar words. The relationship between fashion and technology isn’t new, but it's certainly evolving and there are many lessons to be learned by big and small brands alike. World famous designers are showcasing their collections through cinematic masterpieces while tech companies are hiring high-profile designers to spearhead product design.  

New technologies are helping retailers increase customer engagement, support staff performance, and bring data richness to in-store customer analytics. For example: have you ever wondered what areas of your store get the most foot traffic? Do you wish you could push relevant promotions and recommendations to customers based on their purchase history while in your store? Or have you ever wanted to beam instructions to a sales associate suddenly faced with an unhappy VIP client? 

Redg Snodgrass and Kyle Ellicott on the emerging business of wearable tech 

The second annual Glazed conference is set to take place June 3-4 in San Francisco at the Regency Center. I spoke to Wearble World and Glazed Conference founders Redg Snodgrass and Kyle Ellicott about the burgeoning wearable economy, and their thoughts on what it will take for the wearable era to truly come into its own. 

Wearable Technology has captured the public imagination, raising hopes, fears, and expectations. While there has been much speculation about the capabilities of next generation wearables, their potential applications, and the issues they raise, there has been much less discussion about how the business of wearables will develop and evolve. Attempting to ramp up that conversation, Kyle Ellicott Co-Founded the GLAZED conference, a conference dedicated to the business of wearable technology. I talked to Ellicott for his perspective on the conference and the future of wearable technology.

Image © Carrie Yury

I thought he was insane.
The first time I saw someone talking on a mobile phone with a headset I thought he was psychologically disturbed. Or terribly, aggressively rude. Or both. An executive from the company that had just acquired us, he would stand facing nothing in particular in the middle of the office having a loud, animated conversation with himself, obtrusively alienating the rest of the office.