Tech Apparel: Is it The Future of Fashion Retail?
What is the connection between apparel retail and technology? The answer is an obvious one. What would apparel retail do without apparel retail software! But there is more to it. Apparel and technology combo go beyond any fashion retail software. They go into the realm of fairy tales. And when something reminds me of a fairy tale, there is always this irresistible urge to share it. Remember the story of the emperor’s new clothes?
The Story of an Emperor
Just to recapitulate: there was an emperor who was fond of clothes so much so that people referred to his workaday as “the emperor is sitting in his wardrobe.” The emperor thus was every apparel retailer’s delight! And then two imposters decided to exploit the emperor’s love of fashionable wear and duped him into strolling in the streets of his empire in the dress he was born in.
This was just a side-note aka my penchant for the digression. Now about human’s new clothes, I mean the tech apparel.
Tech Apparel
Tech Apparel, however, is not being designed by an imposter. And the only thing invisible in them is the microchip that will make the dress super functional. It will be a dress and a credit card rolled into one…how’s that for the comforts of technology? MasterCard has teamed up with Adam Selman-a world-famous designer- and others to design clothes and accessories that can double as mobile payment devices. The idea behind this initiative is that any device, and in this case, apparel too, can be a commerce device. You only need to put in a microchip somewhere.
If you come to think of it, this could usher in an entirely new era of apparel marketing and design. Instead of ‘digital prints,’ Mchip prints could be the rage. I mean, who knows. The tech apparel will also change the way apparel is marketed, new tag lines will emerge to cater to the new trend. A few tag lines that come to my mind are:
Wear a chip, and not your heart, on your sleeve
The dress that launched a microchip
The hem of your shirt is your wallet
I am sure, instead of these random thoughts, copywriters will come up with more creative tag lines. Something more inviting.
Isn’t the future super exciting? But that being said, when it comes to tech apparel, I would want to know how about its long terms effects on humans. After all, concerns are still being raised about wearable tech. Or perhaps, we should be like the emperor’s courtiers and not question for the fear of appearing backward simpletons who belong to the Stone Age?