Blog Post 3
Being a digital native that has always been interested in technology, for the Better Lives unit I chose to undertake the Emerging Technologies in the Fashion Industry project. As a generation, we GenZ always have a smartphone nearby, and we adapt to the newest technologies extremely quickly. This means that the digital world will be the prevailing structure in future society. Learning it’s potential now, that most of the Industry is still reasoning with the physical reality, will enable us to understand how to make the switch in the most ethical and correct way.
During the sessions, we discussed and looked at the most prominent forms of technology currently available but still not used by the mass. Bitcoins, AI and Augmented and Virtual Reality were all innovations which we explored and I was familiar with, but now thanks to the course I have understood how each of them can be used in the Fashion world. As a group, we chose to use technology to tackle the problem of Sustainability, which is one of the Better Lives themes. For most of the technologies presented, we came up with one or more solutions to reduce the Industry’s footprint on the environment. An ecological society based on cryptocurrencies, a VR shopping software that could reduce the stock in stores, and a Software that can predict future consumer consumptions trends to reduce unsold goods. We eventually chose the latter to be our unit outcome.
The trend forecasting app we imagined as a group would analyse consumer researches on the web and social media and understand trend cycles. As a result, brands could understand what patterns and styles would be popular in the next seasons and not overproduce the ones that are not ‘on trend’. Reducing the number of unsold clothes can have a deep impact on landfills and recycling issues. To create the app we created a ‘SWOT’ to understand the positive and negative aspects of the project. This was a new process for me, and I found it very useful for future projects.
This project has been very interesting, as it gave me a broader understanding of the technologies available today and how they could be used. It taught me the importance of analysing a proposal through both the positive and the negative side, which is something I often forget to do. This will allow me to create more effective and engaging campaigns in the next years. Overall I have enjoyed focusing on a more business side of the Fashion Industry, as my major is more Communication-based. Through my university journey, I will implement the skills I have learnt during these months, as I now understand better what a possible future of fashion can be.