Blog Post 1: Emerging Technologies in Fashion- Nick Almond
During the first two weeks, I saw a number of lectures that reflected on the themes of Sustainability, Social responsibility, and Diversity. But there were a few that particularly piqued my interest. For Instance the lecture on emerging technologies by Nick Almond. Since I am a fashion PR student technology plays a crucial role in my practice but I wasn’t aware of the effect it had on sustainability, social responsibility, and diversity. This lecture taught me about how quickly fashion is evolving and the significant role technology plays in that process. It was intriguing to learn about how popular AI technology is becoming in the fashion Industry with AI softwares to predict trends and AI stylists on the rise. I think these type of softwares will become more and more useful as the years go by. Although this type of technology might make different designers and companies’ jobs a lot easier in the long run, many people might lose their jobs because technology would be doing their jobs for them.
On the other hand, this lecture also suggested how technology could be a vital tool in making the fashion industry more transparent. Over time it will be possible to track the supply chain of clothes and how goods are made through blockchain technology. Even prominent brands like Gucci will release things using this technology. This is an important step forward for sustainability because brands who aren’t honest about being sustainable will not be able to do so and others will be able to prove that their clothes are in fact sustainable. The lecturer, Nick Almond explained the reason why brands will have to use this technology by saying that there is social pressure from people to know whether their clothes are sustainable or not. This made me think about how putting pressure on brands to actually take the necessary action instead of claiming falsehoods could create a much more sustainable fashion industry in the future and brands could build a better relationship with their clients/consumers by being transparent.
Learning about XR technology and how it could create a more immersive shopping experience was interesting. Digital clothing will be developed and we would be able to try stuff on before the clothes are actually made. I’ve experienced similar technology in a Sephora store in Singapore where they have mirrors that show you how makeup products would look on you and definitely think that this particular form of technology could prove to be incredibly useful in the coming years. Although this lecture also informed me about the implications of XR. One thing that particularly caught my attention was when Nick Almond mentioned virtual influencers and how with the help of XR technology people could have models on a runaway look the way they wanted them to. People could choose to make them look more diverse and use this technology in a socially responsible way but this might not always be the case and if we increasingly rely on this kind of technology our realities could become mostly virtual. In the wrong hands, this technology could do more harm than good.
After listening to this lecture I understand that emerging technologies can have many implications but its ultimately up to us to use this technology in a positive and responsible way. I also learned how technology can have a major impact on the fashion industry especially in relation to the better lives themes. (Student ID: 19002741)
References:
Almond, N. (2020) ‘ Emerging Technologies in Fashion’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 11 February.