SXSW returns to Austin, Texas this month with the Interactive Style Track portion of the festival taking place from March 11-13, 2017. The SXSW Style Track offers a platform for creatives in the fashion and technology community to converge, learn and innovative while delving into topics ranging from the future of retail, wearable technology, sustainable fashion, and more — essentially everything we’re about here at FASHIONOTES!
We’re thrilled to announce the return of our SXSW Spotlight Series for another seasons as we feature interviews with SXSW Interactive Style speakers — some of the most innovative and influential business leaders in the space.
Our first interview in this year’s series is with London College of Fashion’s Fashion Innovation Agency, Matthew Drinkwatter.
FN: So Matthew, how did you first get into fashion, technology and wearables?
MD: I’ve had a long career in retail innovation and have always been obsessed with how to use technology to influence consumer behaviour. I started my career at Harrods and then spent many years living and working in Japan which had a profound impact on my understanding of innovation and has influenced much of my work subsequently.
FN: What does your role as the Head of London College of Fashion’s Fashion Innovation Agency entail? What does your day-to-day look like?
MD: I lead a team that is helping designers and brands use technology to innovate their business model. We look specifically at three different areas. Firstly, the creation process - smart materials/textiles, smart processes like 3D printing, 3D scanning and 3D modelling. Secondly, showcasing –where we do a lot of work at Fashion Weeks, predominantly with augmented and virtual realities. And finally, retail, where we are using a whole range of emerging technologies to allow brands to reach consumers in totally new ways.
[Above photo: FIA presents an Interactive, Augmented Reality Fashion Experience at LFW AW17 with designer, SABINNA in collaboration with Pictofit and Fashion Scout which invites the audience to interact with her garments in the virtual world.]
FN: Tell us about some of the projects you’re most proud of?
MD: I think, honestly, it’s been our ability to work across so many different technologies that is what excites me the most. We’ve obviously made a huge impact in wearable technology and more recently have made some really huge advances in mixed reality. The future is a continuation of that work. We have some very exciting projects in the pipeline.
[Above photo: For Spring/Summer ’17, FIA have been working with luxury brand Martine Jarlgaard London and technology company DoubleMe to explore the possibilities and deliver a ground-breaking mixed reality fashion show.]
FN: Wearable tech has been a relatively slow build over the years. What are some new developments that you see really picking up?
MD: It’s a hugely challenging area and 2016 was an extremely difficult year for wearable tech. The reality is that very few fashion brands have entered the market in a big way and it is our absolute ambition to make that happen.
[Above photo: A collaboration and wearable tech piece by Disney, Richard Nicoll and the FIA inspired by Tinkerbell. Made from fibre optic fabric, activated by high intensity LED’s tailored within the dress, it created a magical digital pixie dust effect down the catwalk. ]
FN: What do wearables look like in 10 years? What are you most excited about when it comes to fashion, tech and wearables for the future?
MD: I’m excited by the diminishing size of sensors that are going to allow us to embed electronics into garments in a much simpler way. I’m excited and the new ways that are clothes will allow us to communicate and interact with the environment around us. I also cannot wait to see new brands and designers emerge harnessing the technology available to them to create a totally new business model for the industry.
Check out this video featuring the collaboration between FIA, SABINNA, Pictofit and Fashion Scout:
