High-tech High-fashion

New York Fashion Week provided us with some high fashion, and high tech interactions. 

A cool digital story coming out of last weeks NYFW is the Google high-tech googles documentary with Dianne Von Furstenburg. Famed designer Dianne Von Furstenburg gives us a short backstage glimpse of fashion week AND the much awaited Google Glasses. The specs are set to release next year, but Dianne incorporated them into her show- wearing them herself and sending her models down the runway in the futuristic frames. DVF then produced a short documentary video of the event shot entirely with Glass. 

Google glass will reportedly offer a number of augmented reality features, pulling data up before your eyes, for example. From this look at it, they will be high tech and high fashion- my favorite combo. 

Tech highlights didn't just come from storytelling about the experience, though. Some were actually part of the clothing. Rebecca Minkoff featured an audio clutch that cross-functions as a wireless stereo for your bluetooth enabled device. 

This may be the first of many wearable technologies to hit the store front. Another really cool innovation comes from technology product design group Artefact. They have developed Meme, a wearable and shareable camera that allows users to take and post photos in an instant. Another awesome fashion technology associated with Artefact is Move. This awesome athletic wear is actually a sensor-packing clothing with associated mobile app and cloud storage. It outputs your body positioning and muscle movement to help you enhance technique and provide real time work-out feedback. 

The best part about all of these is they are allowing it to be sexy to be a tech geek. Watch out world!

Amazon Diversification: Changing eCommerce or Stretching Too Thin?

Amazon has announced a plan to sell high-end fashion on its website. It could be really cool, or really problematic for amazon for a couple of reasons. First, high-end fashion purchases are specific- they are unique, they fit perfectly, or have some intangible that gives people the moral permission to spend the money. Thus, when brought into an eCommerce space there tend to be a lot of returns because people buy 4 items knowing they are going to return 3 and keep the best 1. Returns are expensive. And likely more than the $79 flat shipping fee offered by Amazon Prime if this happens a few times throughout the year. Secondly, there are already some really great outlets for high-end retail. Sacks, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales all have well-funtioning websites, established discount campaigns, audience research and ways to pique interest when shopping might not be top of mind. Third, high-end fashion is already a crowded ball game. Online competition, discount sites and hubs have been around for years. Plus, how do you really compete with the feeling of spending an afternoon trying on clothes, feeling amazing materials and finding jeans that really fit your thighs? Amazon is going all out, though, hiring models, creating photography, and negotiating contracts.

On the up side, if this endeavor works it could change designer fashion sales forever. Some companies are already worried that their brick and mortar stores will become just a showroom for Amazon orders. Their fears are not unfounded. A recent ComScore report determined that leading mobile retail activities look like this: find a store, compare prices, look for a deal. This idea is called showrooming, and it is very real. Go to the store, find the pieces you like, and order them online for a better deal. 

This is not the only endeavor for Amazon. They have recently developed Amazon Supply to challenge tool suppliers like Grainger, ACME and Fastenal. However, their lack of experience in the category may not do them justice in a category that is firmly based in first hand knowledge and shared trade advice. 

Who knows how it will all turn out but one thing is for sure: these diversification efforts from Amazon may change eCommerce forever, or run them dry. 

Cider: Don't Call it a Comeback!

Hard cider is not just for pilgrims anymore.

Originally brought over by the pilgrims, much cider tradition was lost during prohibition, but in the last 10 or so years its being revitalized and becoming a burgeoning market, particularly for Autumn. Sure, hard cider is only a small part of the overall alcoholic beverage market, but its a rapidly growing niche. According to SymphonyIRI data, hard cider sales at supermarkets and other stores totaled about $71.5 million for the 52 weeks ending Aug. 5. This is more than an 50% increase over the same time last year. Brands are taking notice, with ciders now out from Anheuser-Busch (Mich Ultra Cider) and Boston Beer Co. (Angry Orchard Cider). 

Cider also is appealing to young drinkers because it avoided the extra tax introduced in 2010 because its a fruit-based drink. Millennial drinkers are also said to be the most adventurous with their selections from wine to beer, so cider's boom is likely to resonate well with them. I know I'll be having one this fall!