Fashion and technology - two unlikely bedfellows that have been gaining increasing column inches of late thanks to the rise of branded wearables. So far, however, the results have been relatively unsuccessful from a style perspective at least.
The problem, says musician and entrepreneur Will.i.am, is that devices are being made and the “fashion” is being sprinkled on top, rather than fashion being made and technology placed inside it.
Speaking at the Wired conference in London today, he said the industry needs to think from the angle of what a fashion house would do. “Let’s not think what a technological company would do, let’s bake technology in, but come from the perspective of a fashion house. What would Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent do? What would Chanel do? What type of product would they put technology in to?”
Accordingly, he released his own 'smart cuff' called the Puls at Salesforce.com's Dreamforce conference in San Francisco earlier this week.
Created by a 60+ strong team at his company i.am+, this is a standalone connected smartphone on a wristband. It makes phone calls (from its own SIM card), sends emails and SMS, connects to social platforms, streams your music, has in-built GPS and a Siri-like voice-controlled assistant called Aneeda.
Better yet, it also comes with a serious fashion focus thanks to the announcement today of a collaboration with architect and designer Zaha Hadid.
While Will.i.am’s original design is a sleek thick cuff available in a variety of colorways, Hadid brings what looks like five more intricate styles to the table, each of them almost masking the original curved shape beneath.
Undoubtedly inspired by her work, the designs feature bold striations and waved lines reminiscent of the roof she created for the London 2012 Olympic Swimming Pool. There's a gunmetal grey, a bold red and a couple of emerald greens (see more images below).
“You can interpret [the Puls] as a very nice piece to touch and to wear, but also operate it as a device,” Hadid said. The team hasn’t got to the stage of figuring out how these bangles are going to be made just yet, she also revealed, but the intention is at least there.
In the meantime, the main Puls line is expected to drop in November (if Will.i.am’s not-so-subtle hints are anything to go), so as to hit the holiday season.
There will also be a collection of connected clothing to accessorize the cuff launching in the future, grouped together under the header of “Fashionology”. This includes a jacket with inbuilt battery for charging, a backpack with speakers, shoes that count your steps for fitness tracking, and glasses that can take photos. Check out the video below for more detail.
As for the potential ahead for Puls, you can't help but admire Will.i.am's enthusiasm: “How big is the market? How big is your imagination, I ask? That’s the better question.”
