WEARABLE CATWALK TECH OF THE WEEK
The last of the A/W14 shows finished on Wednesday, drawing fashion week to a close for another season—but not before we saw some last-minute wearable tech hit the catwalks in Paris, as Akris presented an uber-sophisticated collection complete with LED embellishment built into apparel.
The illuminated garms were inspired by the space-themed work of German photographer Thomas Ruff, with the e-broidery (geddit?) created as a collab between the Akris label and Swiss textile innovator Forster Rohner.
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DESIGNER-INSPIRED CONCEPT OF THE WEEK
While Rei Kawakubo’s latest collection for Comme des Garcons recently landed on the runway at PFW, we’re not quite done obsessing over those Spring/Summer 2014 styles yet—especially after they’ve received some mad conceptual tripped-out treatment from Berlin’s CGI studio Zeitguised. Their new HD motion triptych Comme des Organismes, which The Creators Project covered last week, acts as a “reinterpretation” of the collection, visually conceiving what each piece’s initial concept might have looked like had it spontaneously manifested itself as autonomous life forms, rather than RTW clothing.
TECH-ENABLED ACCESSORY OF THE WEEK
We’re all pretty familiar (read: bored of it already) with everything being said about the visual capabilities of Google Glass—but rather than utilize a miniature computer for the eyes, a new project called Earclip-type Wearable PC have created a design to be worn in the ear.
Devised by engineer Kazuhiro Taniguchi of Hiroshima University, the accessory comes equipped with features like Bluetooth connectivity, GPS, a gyro-sensor, compass, speaker and microphone—and only weighs 17g. Wearers set commands through movement of the face and head, with infrared sensors picking up on signals like winking or clenching teeth. Given how weird most people will look using it, we’re not sure this one will catch on to the same kinda scale as GG…
THE OTHER TECH-ENABLED ACCESSORY OF THE WEEK 
We just love it when a piece of wearable tech is pulled off with style—introducing Ring by Logbar, the latest arrival in the smart rings family. With its sleek metal shape and Bluetooth-enabled design, you can control a whole heap of smart household items, and apps with just a simple hand gesture. Drawing an envelope shape opens emails, while a camera works for photos, a musical note for songs… you get the idea, Minority Report fans will dig.
Other features include motion and touch sensors, LEDs, and a vibration pad. If you fancy getting your finger on one, it goes on sale in July—you can preorder yours from Kickstarter for £87.
SHAZAM-INSPIRED SHOPPING APP OF THE WEEK
We’ve spoken before about the current work on Shazam-style shopping apps, but now it looks like Asap54 is the first one to make it big for iPhone. Fusing visual recognition technology with personal stylists and social media capabilities, users can point, snap and upload a picture of a product or print/fabric/color, before selecting the type of style they’re after (dress, heels etc) – the app will then display exact matches or suggested items from big retailers like Topshop, together with click-to-buy links. Devised by Daniela Cecilio (previously of Farfetch), Asap54 is apparently faster than a generic search engine—Cara Delevingne is even said to be a fan, if that uh, floats your boat any.
#MUSTHAVE SHOES OF THE WEEK
It’s always fun when a look from the catwalk goes viral, as happened this week at Dior’s PFW show with this uh, interesting pair of shoes. A pair of classic ankle strap courts looks ready to hit the gym with the addition of color blocked rubber sole detailing—hot or not? I’m guessing Dior designer Raf Simmons was trying to go for a kind of ‘athletic sophistication’ vibe here, but maybe he should’ve just stuck to those Adidas collabs.
