More chic than geek? How fashion is changing wearables to be more stylish

How wearables like earbuds should match a person's outfit is important. This is something tech brands have realised. Photo: Jabra

In the 21st century, technology, more than ever, plays a role in all aspects of our lives. This includes clothes and fashion accessories too.

While technophiles still lay claim to gadgets as wholly part of their “domain”, there is no ignoring fashion’s increasing encroachment into the market.

At the Consumer Electronic Show held in Los Angeles earlier this month, a pair of pearl earrings was unveiled.

Called Nova H1, this chic accessory actually functions as wireless earbuds. Using tiny speaker vents, it directs audio towards the ears.

Unlike regular headphones however, the design will not look out of place if worn with a glamorous evening gown. Celebrities could even step out on the red carpet with it, and no one will even guess that they have headphones on.

The same goes for smartwatches. With each new iteration, luxury watchmakers have transformed them into timepieces not at all distinguishable from mechanical watches.

Read more: Wireless headphones or earrings? The coming together of fashion and technology

Smartwatch screens can display a digital dial in such clarity and with enough fine details that they look like a classic watch.

More than that, fashion designers are integrating technology into clothes. They have redefined wearables (electronic technology or devices incorporated into items that can be worn on a body), turning them into stylish essentials.

Fashion houses, brands and designers are incorporating electronics into clothes and accessories. Photo: Art By Physicist

These days, clothes can feature things like solar panels or LED lights – of which blends functionality with aesthetic.

Fashion houses have highlighted such technologies in their runway collections.

Dior for example, worked with a tech startup company last year. For the Autumn/Winter 2022 runway show, models walked out in innovative designs – one being a bodysuit featuring illuminating lights.

Future of fashion

An independent US brand that integrates technology into clothes, Art By Physicist, offers fashion lovers a little something extra with what they wear daily.

For instance, there is a dress with painted flowers on the fabric. Fireflies on the blooms can blink to match a wearer’s heart-rate.

Another dress is able to keep the battery of your mobile device charged on-the-go. This is achieved by having solar panels fitted as part of an oversized decorative bow.

“I don’t think technology and fashion – or science and art – should be separate fields at all,” says Dr Kitty Yeung, Art By Physicist’s founder and designer.

Yeung received her PhD in applied physics from Harvard University. Her passion is in the integration of technology, science, design and art.

“Fashion itself is in fact very technical – especially if one looks into how to convert handmade prototypes into repeatable production units, and how to build sustainable products and businesses. It’s all about engineering,” she notes.

“And technology needs art to be creative, to understand what people need and help more people live better lives.”

Yeung launched her fashion brand in 2019. The aim was to challenge the status quo of the fashion industry, both in terms of clothing manufacturing and applying available technologies into clothing design.

“Technology has always shaped every industry, including fashion. The first industrial revolution enabled mass production. Now, we understand that it is no longer sustainable to keep producing more and more clothes, and we need to change it,” she says.

“If we make more functional clothing that is customised to each person’s preferences, we will like them more, wear them more and wear them for longer periods of time.”

To Dr Kittie Yeung, fashion and technology are a perfect match. Photo: Art By Physicist

Yeung however points out that traditional education for fashion designers does not equip them with the knowledge or give them the freedom to take advantage of technical innovation.

“Some schools or courses don’t even teach students how manufacturing works – which is all about technical creativity, making it difficult for fashion designers to communicate with factories,” she explains.

“Making non-tech clothing design is already considered difficult, let alone getting fashion designers to learn about technologies, which are taught in science and engineering classes.”

According to her, another challenge is the cost. The process of engineering wearables is more difficult and expensive than making clothes alone.

Yeung admits that fashion incorporating some sort of tech component needs to consider user experience. Yet, it is no different from how you would care for your regular clothes.

“Would one wear any non-waterproof clothes in the rain? No, even without electronics, they’ll hold an umbrella or wear a raincoat. Otherwise, they’ll get soaked,” she says.

“Think about normal clothes people already are used to. They also require different kinds of washing – machine wash, hot or cold, hand wash, spot wash, dry wash. Tech wearables do not add more complexity if user experience is already considered in the products.”

Ready-to-wear wearables

Sophy Wong, a multi-disciplinary designer with a penchant for creating wearables, says that fashion and technology go hand in hand.

She points to how the jacquard loom, a machine used to produce textiles, inspired the invention of computer hardware.

Everyday clothes could soon come with some sort of an electronic component in them. Photo: Sophy Wong

The “language” of weaving – complex instructions in the form of punched cards laced together into a sequence – was an early form of binary, now the primary language of computing systems.

Wong graduated from University of Hawaii with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design. She is a known figure in the US wearables maker community and is frequently seen at conventions giving talks and showing off her creations.

In the past, she worked for several years as the costume assistant at Seattle Opera.

Wong creates things like fantasy spacesuits, which include functional cooling fans and lighting. She uses programming to make those tech elements interactive.

That said, she also fashions 3D printed dresses.

“In my costume work, I’m creating a vision of what the future of wearable tech might look like, and in my fashion work, I’m exploring what can be done right now with the amazing tools and materials already available today,” she explains.

When asked about whether wearables can be designed in such a way to look less like sci-fi props, she says it is indeed possible.

Read more: How fashion accessories are finding a new role in the age of social media

“Technology has advanced so much, and components continue to get smaller and smaller, and power solutions like batteries are constantly improving, so that technology can be integrated into wearables as subtly or as obviously as desired by the designer,” she points out.

“I think it comes down to the eye of the designer, and the choices they make, whether they want to create something luxurious and elegant, or something more casual and easy to integrate into your lifestyle. The challenge is to create wearables that people will actually want to wear.”

Wong believes that as technology becomes more and more integrated into every part of our lives, fashion will naturally reflect that.

“It’s exciting to see the new ways talented fashion designers are using technology as a creative tool, just like fabric and thread,” she enthuses.

“Technology is about creating new tools so we can do new things, and fashion is all about innovation, so the two fields are very compatible.”

She also expresses excitement about how wearable technology is making their way onto runways and being adopted by big fashion houses or brands.

“Chanel has been creating some really interesting 3D printed pieces for their fashion shows, and Nike is also using a lot of innovative materials, 3D printing, and knitting technology in their shoes.”

Sophy Wong thinks that clothes with tech elements can be designed in such a way that they appear as chic and glamorous. Photo: Sophy Wong

The science of a sleek design

As much as gadgets are about the latest and most innovative features, even the tech players realise the importance of aesthetic.

Jabra, a Danish brand specialising in audio equipment, recognises that it needs to design sleek, relatable products.

However, balance must still be found between looks and substance. There are tough questions to be answered as well.

“People want to utilise gadgets that not just provide key features and comfort, but also appear attractive, regardless of their lifestyle,” says Agnes Koh, Jabra’s regional product marketing manager, Asia-Pacific.

“This comes with a set of conditions too, like does the product offer both feasibility and style? Is it just pleasant to the eye, without the endurance and quality?”

Koh further notes that gadgets or wearables have evolved over time. These days, they come in a plethora of designs, colour and models.

She says the Elite 5 earbuds from Jabra – discreet in design and with neutral, easy-to-match colours – is an example of form meeting function.

Agnes Koh says that there are tough questions that need to be considered in reconciling form and function when it comes to stylish wearables. Photo: Jabra

“Back in the days, headphones had wires. The different models available were rather clunky. The design has evolved today, which suits the needs of modern society. One may find a sleeker, sexier version where it looks good just to have it on.”

Of course, gadgets should not be judged merely on aspects that are “skin deep”. Technology, after all, is based on data and evidence.

Nevertheless, it seems design can be approached from a scientific perspective.

“Right from the first sketch, our design process is driven by feedback from the people who actually use our products,” Koh explains.

She says the brand considers human factors as a core part of the design process.

“We scanned tens of thousands of ears – by this we do mean tens of thousands, 62,000 to be exact – to create our “Mean Shape Ear”, which we use to design our in-ear products, so they fit like they were literally made for you.”

So, tech brands do spent a lot of hours making sure their products feel as good as they look.

“Perfecting a design needs a balance of technical know-how, instinct, and love, along with a deep understanding of who’s going to use it, and what for,” Koh stresses.

“We tweak, adjust, and fine tune over and over again, crafting each product until it ticks every box. We think it’s better when form versus function isn’t a choice, but a perfect partnership.”

At the end of the day, finding the balance between what looks stylish while still being innovative is the core consideration.

If fashion is changing how technology is being “packaged” for consumers, technology can also influence fashion designers to come up with more innovative designs – or manufactured in a more high-tech way.

As we have seen with smartphones becoming an everyday item, it may not be too far off in the future where we all will be wearing clothes or accessories that have some sort of electronics embedded in them.