Techno + LFW

The next generation of high tech fashionistas realise that for fashion tech to thrive, it has to be about the fashion first. At LFW the multibillion dollar worlds of tech and fashion are colliding like never before.

For many, the launch of Apple's new wrist watch, announced this week with impeccable timing to coincide with the global fashion weeks, will mark an important turning point for fashion tech, a new sector with huge potential for growth.

While Apple’s entry into the market is almost guaranteed to boost the industry’s profile, in reality the fashion industry has been driving fashion tech for years. Fashion tech is much more than just tech inside a timepiece, and nowhere is this more apparent than in London.

In 2010, London Fashion Week was the first in the world to grant access to the masses by live streaming the runways. What had previously been exclusive and elite became accessible to everyone, all because of technology.

Now, everyone has their smartphone camera primed, ready to make their contribution to the zeitgeist. Social media is part of the very fabric of London Fashion Week. Paris may be the undisputed capital of high fashion, but when it comes to high tech fashion, London leads.

The next generation of high tech fashionistas are already emerging. They are incorporating tech into stylish products, realising that for fashion tech to thrive, it has to be about the fashion first.

Two rising stars from this growing trend are Kate Unsworth and Roberta Lucca.

Unsworth is a former model and mathematician bringing her two worlds together to create Kovert Designs, her own digital agency. Kovert’s first product line is a beautiful riposte to the consistently disappointing world of wearable tech.

The early prototypes are gorgeous. Unsworth began her career in the fashion industry, so the aesthetics of her modular jewellery collection are couture-sharp. They promise to enhance rather than complicate your life; pieces can be personalised to alert the wearer only when important contacts or urgent keywords are recognised, so you control your social channels instead of being a slave to them. The tech is fashionable as well as unobtrusive, much as the new Apple Watch promises to be.

Designer Accessories

B L U

The Apple Watch is en Vogue

The issue features supermodel Liu Wen wearing the device in an iconic moment when fashion meets technology.

Vogue stands unrivalled as the world's leading style bible, so this placement certainly solidifies the Apple Watch's fashion credentials. 

And certainly comes as no surprise that the wearable tech features on the version in China - where science and technology have developed rapidly in recent years.

iWatch

Apple iWatch Release Date: 

New Smartwatch to Launch Early 2015

Apple's Sept. 9 Press Conference brought about some exciting news for Apple fans as they unveiled the latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the latest in the Cupertino company's flagship phone series. It wasn't the only thing that was unveiled however as Apple CEO Tim Cook announced another device as well -- the sapphire glass protected smartwatch called the Apple Watch, not the iWatch as some speculated.

Unlike its rival, the Motorola Moto 360 with its circular-type face design, the Apple Watch features a rectangular-type face design with rounded-off corners -- much like how the design of most Apple devices are. The Apple Watch however, won't be coming out until early 2015 at the least, according to reports.

The Cupertino company's first wearable is that it functions much like a notification window where the Apple Watch, synced with any Apple device such as an iPhone or an iPad, will show new messages, Facebook updates, app notifications, and Siri as well to a user's wrists. This eliminates the need for the user to take out the device whenever a notification is received.

Not only is the Apple Watch's functionality convenient, but safe as well as users can opt to have their iPhones stowed away at their pockets.

The Apple Watch's design looks to have drawn its inspiration from the iPod Nano, with a rectangular-shaped screen with smoothed off edges, one knob at the side and a single button. The watch's screen is protected from the usual wear and tear suffered by watches by Sapphire glass, said to be three times harder than Corning Gorilla Glass.

DVF | MADE FOR GLASS

Introducing Glass, the smart eyewear that allows your digital life to blend seamlessly with your natural surroundings. Use Glass to take photos, find answers, get directions and enhance your now. These limited editions of Google's revolutionary smart eyewear, designed by Diane von Furstenberg, will allow you to discover a new way to see the world today.

CHANEL Cruise 2015 Dubai

Chanel’s Adventures in Dubai

Karl Lagerfeld presented Chanel’s Cruise 2015 collection in Dubai. Prior to the show—where the audience included Freida Pinto, Dakota Fanning, and Tilda Swinton—photographer John Messinger captured the calm before the storm on his cell phone. See the peaceful moments here.