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Wearable tech is at an impressive stage of evolution for such a young innovation.
The concept itself is not a new phenomenon, but fashion’s influence has started to shape it into something a far cry from the 80’s clunky calculator watch.
London Fashion Week SS15 showcased some of the most exciting developments to date. Richard Nicoll and Studio XO’s ‘Tinkerbell’ dress (see picture below right) wowed buyers and the public alike, not just for it’s forward-thinking use of fibreoptics but for its sheer beauty. Fashion has finally reached the point where tech isn’t just an afterthought to garments, it’s created equally and with the complete, finished product in mind.
This March, the British Fashion Council added 'Innovation and Digital' to its five fashion strategy pillars, stating that ‘We want British businesses to follow in the footsteps of its brands and lead in innovation and digital’, confirming that wearable tech is not a gimmick: it's the future.
In fact, we’re at the point now where tech isn’t just becoming wearable, wearables are being techified. Case in point: the selfie hat. a collaboration between Christian Cowan-Sanluis and Acer, which debuted at LFW SS15. Although obviously a tongue in cheek comment on selfie culture and not intended as Ready-To-Wear, it doesn’t seem a million miles away from the near reality. At LFW AW14 Fyodor Golan teamed up with Kin and Nokia to create the world’s first piece of clothing made entirely from smartphones, which used GPS tracking to co-ordinate the model’s movements with the picture on the screen, so the skirt looks to move as fabric does. Jennifer Darmour of Electricfoxy has created a jacket that integrates with a music device, so that the zip acts as the volume control. Unlike the bass-reacting LED T shirts of 
the early noughties, technology is increasingly becoming more than just an aesthetic addition to clothing, it now adds function.
The most fashion-forward examples of wearable tech have been, perhaps unsurprisingly, in the form of accessories. Shoreditch-based Kovert Designs integrate sensors and wireless technology with their beautifully designed jewellery, to send the wearer notifications from their smartphone.
Brand Republic caught up with Kovert's CEO, Kate Unsworth, to get an insider's perspective on the future of wearable tech.
How would you describe the wearable tech market at the moment – is it moving fast enough? Is the innovation better than the aesthetics or are they developing alongside each other?
I'd say we're finally at turning point. Up until now, we've been in the innovation phase - the wearable tech market has a long nose (as opposed to a long tail), meaning there's a slow and gradual ramp up to reach product-market fit. The only thing up for grabs in 'the nose' is patents. And the only people buying products in 'the nose' are early adopters.
Most wearable tech companies to date have been made up of extremely smart engineers, to whom we owe all our industry knowledge. However these people don't tend to have great insight into what 'normal people' want (i.e. not the tech early adopters).
I'd say for those of us in the industry, we're pushing and pushing, everything feel like old news now, and we want the industry to move faster, but we probably account for 1% of consumers. The remaining 99% are just about ready to embrace wearable tech, especially now that it's finally becoming more fashion-forward with the likes of Kovert, Studio XO and We:eX.
How far would you say wearable tech’s come over the past 5 years?
Lightyears. Not only has battery efficiency and processing power improved ten-fold, but consumer acceptance and incorporation into brand and company strategies has allowed us to progress at a decent pace.
Why did you choose Shoreditch as your UK base?
Shoreditch was historically home to the creative industry in London: ad agencies, galleries, and branding companies, to name a few. It's also full of musicians, artists and fashion students - you can feel it, creativity is in the air …but in recent years, something interesting has happened. With the rapid expansion of Silicon Roundabout, London's tech hub, inhabited by the majority of tech start-up who have a London base - these two world have begun to merge, creating the perfect mix of creativity and technical know-how, embodied in a can-do, entrepreneurial spirit. We root ourselves in the centre of this intersection.
I travel a lot, and I've never come across anywhere quite like Shoreditch - it's the perfect fit for us as a company at this point in time.
Do you see wearable tech becoming more ubiquitous?
Yes, absolutely. But I think it'll get more and more invisible, and more and more seamless. Others won't see you're wearing it, and you'll forget it's there - it'll fade into the background. This is what we strive for at Kovert Designs, hence the name.
What wearable tech innovation would you like to see next?
I dream of a self-organising diary.
What do you see for the future of Kovert?
…watch this space ;)
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