Design and Technology: Transforming Fashion
Infor and FIT
The DTech Lab reinforces one of Infor's core tenets: industry expertise to provide last mile functionality to its customers. The Lab is a hub where design, technology, and industry expertise fuel the innate curiosity and desire of innovative of FIT students who are the next-generation workforce.
Icons of the Fashion industry
The impact of the Lab will be on display at the Harper's BAZAAR ICONS event, which kicks off New York Fashion Week, on Friday, September 7, 2018, at the Plaza Hotel. Infor has sponsored the event for five years, demonstrating its commitment not just to the fashion industry but also to design excellence from the runway to enterprise software. At this year's event, a student-created, high-fashion, wearable-tech gown—designed and fabricated in the DTech Lab—will be worn on the celebrity-packed red carpet.
The student team challenge
Working under faculty supervision for three months, teams of students explored incorporating wearable technology into the designs of two innovative Swedish brands: POC, a high-end sports brand; and BACK, an iconoclastic fashion brand. Teams were given access to Neue's A2 Playground platform, a tiny custom designed circuit board with sensors that measure, among other things, foot falls, humidity, and temperature, and controllers for electroluminescent materials.
Outcomes: POC
The FIT/POC team embedded Neue's A2 custom microprocessor, wearable sensors and electroluminescent fabric into commuter wear for bikers including cycling pants, helmets and bags to increase biker safety. The teams also incorporated haptic motors (vibrations) and electroluminescent pads to provide screen-free directions and better visibility in traffic for the rider.
Outcomes: BACK
For garments designed for the sharing economy, the interconnected software enables wearers to unlock exclusive rewards such as BACK's Spotify playlist based on rental frequency and duration of wear time which also provides valuable information for the brand. Electroluminescent wires and vibrating knickers which are controlled through the A2 Playground app and voice control, allow for customisation of frequencies and intensities to create unique experiences for each wearer.
Presenting the next generation of designers
In June 2018 the Swedish Fashion Council sponsored an event at the Residence of the Swedish Consulate General in New York City where the student-designed creations were presented to the press, industry leaders, and academia. In attendance—in addition to the FIT student and faculty participants—were Dr. Joyce F. Brown, FIT President, Leif Pagrotsky, Swedish Consul General, and Ann-Sofie Back.