Combining fashion and innovative technology the London College of Fashion and Microsoft unveiled the projects from their custom co-curriculum, Future of Fashion Incubator. A while back Microsoft partnered with London College of Fashion, UAL to find out what happens when the future leaders of the fashion industry get their hands on the innovative technology. Per Microsoft’s press release, the incubator was comprised of a short-term intensive program, where top students from LCF’s Fashion Business School, School of Design & Technology, and School of Media & Communication worked together in six multi-disciplinary groups. Below were the selected groups for the program:
- SmartSigns
- Janet
- Heroes
- DiDi
- HoloLux
- Augmenta
During the program, students attended workshops and explored various Microsoft technologies and their impact on the fashion industry. They also got to explore Mixed Reality/3D, the Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence, all powered by Azure technologies. As part of the program, once the student concepts were established, teams consulted with Incubator Ambassadors Charli Cohen, Hayley Elsaesser, Sofia Barattieri, Natasha Franck, Sophia Matveeva and Bia Bezamat.
The innovative outcome from the six groups of the program are below:*
Group 1 developed AI-assisted digital signage for fashion retail, called SmartSigns. This interactive display uses computer vision to identify a customer‘s style, suggesting local shops and similar styles available in the immediate vicinity.
Group 2 created a style assistant app called Janet. After digitizing their existing wardrobe, customers would use Janet in-store to locate complementary garments to add to their collection. The app also highlights the most convenient (and cost-effective) way to find and buy a specific garment.
Group 3 explored IoT and wearables, building a gamified exercise app using wearable tech. Instead of using a phone or wristband, the Heroes mobile app would be embedded in athletic wear via insole tilt sensors, accelerometers, and flex sensors within the garments. It offers the added benefit of helping users to find like-minded and similarly skilled fitness enthusiasts.
Group 4 also focused on IOT, examining ways to embed an RFID thread into a garment to track its life cycle. Called Design by Data, or DiDi, this nearly imperceptible thread would collect data for designers and brands to inform future improvements, from fabric choices to lessen wear and tear to more ergonomic designs.
Group 5 built a mixed reality store for an immersive, multi-brand luxury experience. Hololux is ideal for online-only retailers who lack a physical presence and have more stock than can be artfully displayed at a shop or boutique. It’s also great for areas with high opportunity but small available footprints, like airports.
Group 6 used HoloLens to create a tool for retailers to experiment with elements like store layout, visual merchandising, and customer flow. With Augmenta, computer vision and machine learning tracks customer behavior, and owners can then use this info to build their models.
This is certainly a phenomenal time for innovative technology and fashion, combining them to create cutting-edge fashion just makes sense! We are interested to see the outcome of these project and if they will go to market. For more information on the program please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/inculture/london-college-fashion/.
###
Source: Microsoft, London College of Fashion, UAL
*Direct site from Microsoft’s press release
