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Fashion week to Fashion tech

Web review - 09/10/2015

More capitals, more media visibility, more international trade, more cross-border creativity: fashion is a globalized industry where economic challenges and technologic competition are intense. But fashion reflects also excessively our society. The economist George Taylor considers that the length of a hem corresponds to a good economic indicator.  Yet, Pierre Bergé - Yves-Saint-Laurent co-founder - announced that Haute Couture houses would not last over the 20^th century. Their survival is all the more difficult because the competition is sharp between capitals – Paris, New York, Milan but also Toronto and Tokyo…- , which all claim to be the fashion city. Therefore there is a one-upmanship in the way to promote collections. Here digital innovation plays a crucial role.

At the heart of the Parisian Fashion week that end Sunday 11^th October, a ‘Fashion Tech’ is under way : Hermès launches its digital watch with Apple, a fashion brand presents dresses which colours are only visible thanks to a smartphone… And science is now able to predict trend! Two researchers at the University of NY say they have discovered an algorithm able to anticipate trend as well as Anna Wintour’s magazine Vogue.

The marriage between Haute couture and High technology is then part of the ‘economy of creativity’.

Technology on and off the Runway at Fashion Week

When we think of Fashion Week, we think of long-lines, exclusive parties, and endless train of models. This year you can add technology to the list.

Read on techcrunch.com

For the real hits of fashion week, look to computer science

Researchers from Taiwan and the University of Rochester in New York have developed machine learning algorithms that enable a computer to spot the fashion trends that make their way from the runway to the street. The work may lead to tricks for quickly pinpointing what’s popular with the people.

Read on sciencenews.org

The Economic Impact of the Fashion Industry in USA, and UK

As the U.S. economy continues to grow and evolve, one of the many bright spots of our new creative economy is the fashion industry. With a growing number of high-value jobs that pay high wages, fashion is now having a big impact not only in fashion centers on the coasts, but also in smaller cities around the country.

Read on house.gov

Economy Of Fashion: How Different Trends Reflect The Financial State

It’s common knowledge fashion is cyclical in nature. The concept of “newness” in fashion doesn’t refer to the premiere of a trend, but rather its revival. (…) One  of the most surprising factors to influence the cycle of fashion, though, is the state of the global economy.

Read on elitedaily.com

Photo credit: David Shankbone