Chun-Pi Hsieh

I would like to review HuaYu Liu’s first blog- Emerging Technology in fashion.

I chose his blog to comment as I was also listening to the lecture, Emerging Technology by teacher Nick Almond and wanted to see if we had similar viewpoint of technology in the future. Also, I have mainly focused about how to create a sustainable future through Emerging Technology as well. I really enjoyed reading your blog post as not only describing your point of view about the topic but also adding a very interesting example in your blog. 

We have the same viewpoint that emerging technology can really create a sustainable future to our life. As I mentioned in my blog post before, fashion in the future is tightly linked to the technology, sustainability, and connected in each part of the fashion industry. There are lots of company started to use emerging technology such as AI system, 3D software and digital platform to allow people reduce the pollution. Also, you said that due to the coronavirus, we’ve already using various technology or digital platform to receive and communicate with people in the world. At this difficult time, I’m glad that we have these medium not only to receive but also to convey our message to others. In the fashion industry, brands would not be affected by the coronavirus as much as the time before we didn’t have the digital technology. Museum started to create and to post their art works on their online platform to people who want to visit museum in their house. Audience can use their social media or other platform to shop online or to watch fashion show anywhere. The subtitle of your fourth paragraph, it is easily to understand that ‘Emerging technology is already with us.’  

Following on from his strong fifth paragraph ‘Emerging technologies will be a significant part of the fashion industry in the future.’ He said that lots of fashion brand would like to covey the concept of the sense of future through emerging technology. I really like your example about a new designer, Angel Chen. I never heard about this person before so it is a very good and interesting reference for me to understand the new way of combining technology into fashion industry. I agree with his viewpoint that creativity and imagination are significant to our future, and emerging technology definitely will be the mainstream in the future of fashion industry.

Overall, I think he describing and analyzing the importance of Emerging Technology in fashion industry very clear for me. I can easily understand your point of view that technology is an integral part of our life to create a sustainable future and to help us protecting the planet. As a fashion student, we need to use what we learn to create a better live.

The concept of diversity, sustainability, and social responsibility have throughout the whole Better Lives unit. As a creative direction for fashion student, we need to learn and understand the importance of these themes. Then, to apply the concept into our project or in the fashion industry. During the current situation affecting the world by Covid-19, it is hard to create portrait photography outside of the house. However, it is a good opportunity for us to practice photography skill in a limited environment. We need to create a home portrait or a fashion self-portrait during lockdown using our smartphone or camera. Even though we can’t go to school or outside to take photos, we still can find another way to practice our photography skills. 

Final Outcomes – home portrait 

It was difficult at the beginning as I still stay in the school accommodation, so I don’t have much space and item to help me creating home portrait project. After I did some research, I decided to combine light and shadow into the photo, and added my previous work using photoshop to create my final outcome. Instead of simple photo taken by the camera, I would like to add some emerging technology into my project, such as 3D software. As the lecture, emerging technology teacher said that it is significant to understand that fashion is tightly linked to the technology in order to create a sustainability future. So, I have been experimenting a series shot using different methods, such as smartphone, camera, facetime camera, and CLO (3D software). It was a very challenging project for me to think outside of the box and to create a fashion self-portrait at the school accommodation.  

My personal development 

To consider about the concept of the sustainability, it is important to know that using the object you already have and consider a different meaning of the object could help us think creatively and waste resource less than before. Combining technology into fashion project could practice not only the skill but also the way of creative thinking. I would also like to discover different ways to convey the message for the audience in my future. Using emerging technology tells our audience to consider about fashion issues. 

Throughout the whole Better Lives unit, I have a deeper understanding about the concept of diversity, sustainability, and social responsibility within fashion industry and our society. The lectures open a wilder view of fashion issues in the society for me to consider about. And, it was a special opportunity to develop the way to take portraits or fashion self-portrait in a limited situation cause by the Covid-19 now. The course inspires me various creative ideas about the combination between photography and emerging technology to apply in my practice of work. My aim with my future project, I would like to investigate more about these topics and to create a diversity and sustainable future. 

In today’s digital era, technology is becoming more significant to human’s lives, and also, deeply influenced on the fashion industry. It is easy for people to post various information, such as photograph, text and video on their social media which is convenient for us to obtain what we want to know through the internet. However, to recognize the reliable information is the most difficult thing today as the Internet is full of fiction. This is a problem which will cause of the mass consumption and the customer experience in the fashion industry.

As a creative direction student and focusing on contemporary portrait photography, it is important to consider about how to create a sustainable future through our images.  

Honest storyteller 

To capture the photo of another human being is a difficult mission, conveying the truth, knowing their inner-world and talking to them is a honest storyteller’s job. For instance, to portray the truth of the designer’s concept or their views on the project, it is important to make conversation to them, then, convey the true attitude and beliefs of what they said. We must focus with the designer’s mind to an extent where they are listening and watching with empathy.  

The information we absorb plays a big part in the way we make decisions, so it is important for us to convey the right information, especially through images, so that consumers will consider more carefully through the reliable image before they purchasing.  

Cooperate with the right people or company 

In order to portray a true, positive and reliable image to consumers, the brand or company that you chose to cooperate is very important. To avoid the companies or brands which creating false image or information just for the profit. In fashion industry, there are more serious issues for us to consider about, such as consumer experience, the origin materials of the product, and child labor problem. Not only fashion industry, we all have the social responsibility to care about those issues. For me, choosing the brand who held the correct thought is the first thing I will do before I work with them.

In my future 

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.” — Anonymous 

After listening to the better lives lecture about creating a sustainable future to our life, how emerging technology will affect the way we live and work in the fashion industry. Also, understanding the implications for photograph, portrait and consumption with regards sustainability through the Contemporary Portrait Photography class.

In my future, it is my commitment to document the truth, to cooperate carefully with others, to be open mind with new ideas and new technology, to explore various views and to share my creative thought and project to the wider world.

How emerging technology create a sustainable future to our lives? Although, technology and fashion are often seen as completely different fields before. However, these two fields have always intersected to betterment of both industries. As technology presses forward, the better lives lecture, Emerging Technology, mentioned that each successive generation of computing becomes more personal, for example, AI has to be the most important step to improve our lives. The lectures have influenced my thinking is that I realized the future of fashion is technological, sustainable, automatized and connected in each part of the chain, from the designer who make the clothes to end customers.  

This question reminds me of two software (app) and one AI system example that I knew from the past which can prove that emerging technology can really create a sustainable future for people.  

Fashion Trend Forecasting 

In Japan, the streets of Shibuya and Harajuku are the most important place for the Asian fashion trend. What people are wearing in these area is very valuable data for AI, so the Toyko-based company, Fashion Pocket uses AI to analyze and assess fashion images in Japanese and global media and identify fashion trends information, such as colours, shapes and patterns. Fashion Pocket also provides this AI system to other large companies.   

This AI system generates analysis reports that conclude fashion trends picked up from millions of images and data every day from all over the world. I believe that this AI system can help improve retail turnover rates to reduce inventory and waste. 

3D Fashion Design Software 

Fig 1. 3D fashion project (2018) 

It was a 3D model wearing a stylish outfit which I designed with a software, CLO two years ago. CLO is a software that allows designers to create 3D looks. The software has great potential as it allows users to adjust their design without actually having to make one. The most important part of this software is that people can explore any possibilities at zero cost with the ability to design graphic, colors and patterns. Designer doesn’t need to do the physical fitting and pay the shipping costs by seeing all changes on their computer which means designer can complete the designs earlier and cost lesser than before. 

Clothing Style Recommendation 

Another AI system (app), Clothing Style Recommendation is increasingly used by companies to show their targeted product suggestions to their clients. Online clothing platform D Fashion uses AI system by mobile company DoCoMo to turn user images into sales promotion. The AI can not only recommend clothing for users, it also automatically analyze stores items, such as hats, pants, skirts and tops. It is very convenient that people are unnecessary go to the store to try the products, they can do it anywhere! 

As I mentioned before, AI has developed the ability to estimate fashion trends and helping people to choose what they are suitable for clothing. Teacher in the Emerging Technology lecture said that data is the most important thing for AI. AI acquires these data from store cameras, customer history purchase records, images and videos by clients upload to the social media or Youtube which reflect our preferences. Different kinds of emerging technology have process ahead, as a fashion student need to research emerging technology helping me guess what’s going to come next and how to use it into fashion field. To think about how to combine new technology to fashion to improve human’s life and create a sustainable future. 

Reference: 

Almond, N. (2020) ‘Emerging Technologies in Fashion’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 11 February 

Lay, J. (2020) ‘Cultural Sustainability’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 18 February 

Image:

Figure 1. Chun Pi, H (2018) 3D project-garment and space practice [Image]