All the tech that’s fit: Companies create gadget-infused clothes for active users
Light-up clothes and fitness trackers aren’t exactly revolutionary in 2017, but at the CES trade show at The Venetian on Saturday, exhibitors showed off attempts to elevate that technology for a new era.
Wearable technologies, also called “smart” apparel and accessories, were a hot topic at the trade show, which opened Thursday, ends Sunday and runs at multiple venues.
Numerous booths and panels, including an exhibit by activity tracker company Fitbit, probed how personalized technology can be worn conveniently. But companies are also increasingly focusing on how to make those products fashionable and increase their functionality.
Fitbit is just one of the wearable companies focused on fashion.
The company has created accessories to store its trackers including necklaces and designer-label bracelets. The necklaces, which retail from $79.99 to $99.95, are part of an effort by the company to give customers stylish options tailored to their tastes.
“We want to keep Fitbit users wearing their trackers throughout the day,” said product marketing manager for accessories Youmi Bang, “and what we’ve learned is they want to wear it for different occasions.”
It’s not just the accessories that are being upgraded and making a splash.
Jeremy Wall, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based apparel and accessories company Lumenus, attracted plenty of stares as he walked CES’ halls in a jacket outfitted with lights and turn signals.
“Clothing is already something we know, wear and adopt,” he said.
The jacket, a sample of a product his company is developing, is targeted at cyclists and travelers. The clothing connects with a smartphone to determine the user’s route, and the turn signals and brake lights on the jacket are automatically enabled — helping motorists identify where cyclists are and where they’re going.
One goal is to reduce cycling accidents, but the technology is also being integrated in backpacks and other devices that can be used by a diverse clientele — from emergency workers to Uber drivers, Wall said. The first of the company’s products should hit the marketplace in late spring.
Fashion designer Sylvia Heisel told a crowd during a CES panel Saturday that fashion industry techniques have remained static for years, meaning there’s plenty of room for innovation.
Wall’s product and others can combine fashion and technological function, providing users with wearables that can be integrated into their lives, she said.
And consumers seem to be open to such advances, as demonstrated by the growing trend of Christmas sweaters that light up and play music, said Heisel, who uses three-dimensional printing and experiments with new materials and technology in her designs.
“This is the first year when we saw people go, ‘I’m going to wear something with lights and batteries,’” she said. “It’s all of a sudden acceptable for consumers.”
Contact Pashtana Usufzy at pusufzy@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Follow @pashtana_u on Twitter.