If you need an example of how fast fashion has changed the face of clothing retail, then you need look no further than a high-collared dark coat with a ring fastening that went on sale recently at Zara in the US. A month before it hit the racks, it was no more than a vague preference in a customer feedback form.
As the Wall Street Journal reports, it can take as little as 25 days for a broad concept–in this case, customers wanting more hardware on their outerwear (that all important ring fixing)–becoming not just a prototype, but an actual product on the racks.
The key is that all-important customer feedback, linked to a tightly focussed and centralised production based largely in Zara's home base of Spain. The coat was prototyped in the small industrial city of Arteixo, before a squad of pattern-makers, cutters and seamstresses got to work. A little under two weeks later, 8000 coats were on a plane at Barcelona. Destination: the racks at Zara stores across the States.
Other retailers are seeing the benefits to this tightly-integrated and streamlined system. US-based companies are beginning to move operations closer to home, using the Caribbean instead of Asia as manufacturing bases. This squeezes up that all-important transport window, getting new items into the shops much more quickly.
However, we have concerns. This fast-track model only works if corners are cut. Can we be certain that QA standards are as high as they could be, given the reputation for fast fashion's poor quality of fit and finish? After all, one reason that the clothes are so cheap is that they are deliberately designed not to last for more than one season. As Zara are redefining the length of a season into weeks rather than months, should we be surprised that clothes from fast fashion retailers don't suit purpose after the first couple of washes?
You have to wonder about the design process as well. A five-day window for prototyping seems awfully slim. It makes you wonder if designing for a limited range of sizes is part of the business plan.
Zara's parent company Inditex are clearly very successful at what they do, and their business model is envied across the sector. Global communication technology working in concert with a localised and tightly integrated manufacturing base have basically allowed them to redefine the way that clothing is designed, produced and consumed. However, as we all know, the fast-track process and its built-in environmental impact is not necessarily that great for anyone... apart from Inditex's shareholders.
Showing posts with label tech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tech. Show all posts
Friday, 9 December 2016
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
Soaking Up The Jellyfish Boom
I'm never less than amazed by the bounty we receive from the oceans, or the innovative ways in which we find use for the most unassuming of resources. We'll talk more about ocean plastics tomorrow, but today I want to highlight a fantastic example of lateral thinking.
Jellyfish are becoming a real problem along some American shorelines, as populations rise, driven by pollution and rising ocean temperatures. They're unpleasant to be around, but jellyfish are also a risk to undersea infrastructure, particularly the cooling systems of nuclear power plants. In some areas of New Mexican coastline, colonies can reach for a hundred miles and be so dense that there are more jellyfish than water in some small inlets.
Research into ways to stem that growth have led to some fascinating discoveries. As with ocean plastics, one group of scientists have found a way to turn a problem into something useful.
An Israeli startup, Cine'al, has been looking into the water-absorbent properties of jellyfish flesh. When broken down into a material that they call 'hydromash', it is incredibly hygroscopic, able to soak up astonishingly high volumes of liquid. The Cine'al team realised that hydromash could be used in medical dressings, sponges, nappies and tampons.
In America alone, over 40 million nappies are used daily, and 43 million women use tampons every month. Most of this material ends up in landfill, and could take hundreds of years to break down. Hydrogel-derived products, however, take less than 30 days to break down–a clear and obvious environmental benefit. Nor Davidson of Cine'al says:
“If these products go mainstream, they can revolutionize the market and make an environmentally noticeable difference.”
Products like nappies and tampons are invisible yet essential parts of our everyday life, seen for the most part as one-use, disposable items. Any innovation that gets the truckfuls of these materials out of landfill more quickly has to be celebrated. If at the same time it makes our shorelines a little safer and more pleasurable, than so much the better.
For more on Cine'al's innovative approach, hit up their website.
Jellyfish are becoming a real problem along some American shorelines, as populations rise, driven by pollution and rising ocean temperatures. They're unpleasant to be around, but jellyfish are also a risk to undersea infrastructure, particularly the cooling systems of nuclear power plants. In some areas of New Mexican coastline, colonies can reach for a hundred miles and be so dense that there are more jellyfish than water in some small inlets.
Research into ways to stem that growth have led to some fascinating discoveries. As with ocean plastics, one group of scientists have found a way to turn a problem into something useful.
An Israeli startup, Cine'al, has been looking into the water-absorbent properties of jellyfish flesh. When broken down into a material that they call 'hydromash', it is incredibly hygroscopic, able to soak up astonishingly high volumes of liquid. The Cine'al team realised that hydromash could be used in medical dressings, sponges, nappies and tampons.
In America alone, over 40 million nappies are used daily, and 43 million women use tampons every month. Most of this material ends up in landfill, and could take hundreds of years to break down. Hydrogel-derived products, however, take less than 30 days to break down–a clear and obvious environmental benefit. Nor Davidson of Cine'al says:
“If these products go mainstream, they can revolutionize the market and make an environmentally noticeable difference.”
Products like nappies and tampons are invisible yet essential parts of our everyday life, seen for the most part as one-use, disposable items. Any innovation that gets the truckfuls of these materials out of landfill more quickly has to be celebrated. If at the same time it makes our shorelines a little safer and more pleasurable, than so much the better.
For more on Cine'al's innovative approach, hit up their website.
Tuesday, 6 September 2016
Time For Tea... But As A Jacket?
The search is on for new, sustainable substitutes to the materials that we take for granted–but are incredibly greedy of resources and pollute the planet. From plants like nettle and hemp to more unusual replacements for leather made from pineapple or banana, there's a huge push to find the next big thing in renewable materials.
As an Englishman, I'm happy to report that the latest innovation to emerge in the field comes from a humble but vital source: tea. As The Swatch Book reports, two scientists, one based at Central St. Martin's College, the other at Iowa State, have both been busy with an approach that makes fabric from green tea cellulose fibres.
The initial product isn't promising: it's a sort of soupy, lumpy mash. No good for drinking, and certainly not wearable. Bacteria is added which over the course of several days creates a film of cellulose. This film is the important stuff. When dried and treated, it has the look and feel of leather.
There are significant advantages to this sort of product, above and beyond the potential cut in toxic chemicals that are part of the process used to tan leather. For one thing, it's completely biodegradable, opening up new paths to cradle-to-cradle production–that is, the ability to totally break down one garment and use its raw material to make another.
But it's early days, and there are issues with cellulose clothing that are yet to be properly addressed. For one thing, it's simply not as hard-wearing as leather. It's brittle at low temperatures, and vulnerable to air and moisture. Scaling up the process for mass production is also going to be a major challenge. Growing cellulose film is labour and time-intensive work. But the approach is getting positive notices and, more importantly, funding.
So, although it'll be a while before we can wear tea jackets or shoes, the future could be bright for cellulose clothing. Let's face it, it's no more wacky than some of the candidates for leather replacements we've seen in the past. Remember mushroom leather?
As an Englishman, I'm happy to report that the latest innovation to emerge in the field comes from a humble but vital source: tea. As The Swatch Book reports, two scientists, one based at Central St. Martin's College, the other at Iowa State, have both been busy with an approach that makes fabric from green tea cellulose fibres.
The initial product isn't promising: it's a sort of soupy, lumpy mash. No good for drinking, and certainly not wearable. Bacteria is added which over the course of several days creates a film of cellulose. This film is the important stuff. When dried and treated, it has the look and feel of leather.
There are significant advantages to this sort of product, above and beyond the potential cut in toxic chemicals that are part of the process used to tan leather. For one thing, it's completely biodegradable, opening up new paths to cradle-to-cradle production–that is, the ability to totally break down one garment and use its raw material to make another.
But it's early days, and there are issues with cellulose clothing that are yet to be properly addressed. For one thing, it's simply not as hard-wearing as leather. It's brittle at low temperatures, and vulnerable to air and moisture. Scaling up the process for mass production is also going to be a major challenge. Growing cellulose film is labour and time-intensive work. But the approach is getting positive notices and, more importantly, funding.
So, although it'll be a while before we can wear tea jackets or shoes, the future could be bright for cellulose clothing. Let's face it, it's no more wacky than some of the candidates for leather replacements we've seen in the past. Remember mushroom leather?
Thursday, 14 July 2016
There's Mush Room For These New Fabrics...
The quest continues for new alternatives to the most polluting and simultaneously popular clothing materials on the planet. Cotton, even in its organic form, is thirsty stuff, and dependent on pesticides. Leather needs highly toxic chemicals in order to be tanned–these can find their way back into water tables. In an ideal world, there would be much safer and more sustainable alternatives.
Researchers across the globe have recently come across a promising lead in the search for a cleaner alternative in the shape of the humble mushroom. Quick and easy to grow, sure. An essential part of the Full English Breakfast, arguably. A replacement for shoe leather or the cotton in our t-shirts?
Well, maybe not quite yet, but the research is very promising. For example, Danish product designer Jonas Edvard has developed a product called Myx. The fibre is created from mycelium–the base layer on which mushrooms are commercially grown. Once its done the job, mycelium is usually thrown away. But Edvard mixes it with hemp and linen waste, byproducts of clothing and rope production. The end result is a stable, strong fibre with all kinds of uses. The mycelium gives Myx a resilient structure, helped by the natural occurrence in the material of chitin–the stuff that makes crustacean shells so strong. Low cost, environmentally friendly and making virtue out of waste products? These are all benefits we applaud highly here at The Pier. Hooray for Myx!
Over in Italy, R&D gurus Grado Zero Espace have come up with MuSkin, an entirely vegan alternative to leather. Made from mushroom caps and tanned without recourse to toxic chemicals, MuSkin is tough yet pliable and easy to adapt to all sorts of potential uses. Think of a material that has the texture of suede, but a much softer feel.
GZE have noted MuSkin's ability to absorb moisture and are looking to use it in items like shoe insoles and watch straps. It's also breathable and water repellent, so they've started making hats out of the stuff. They don't mention how easy it is to scale MuSkin up for commercial applications, but it's exciting to see how versatile it could be.
Our View: many of the materials we depend upon for our everyday clothing needs have been with us for a very long time. In fact, skins and furs would have been some of the first clothes we'd have ever worn. So it seems only right that in the 21st century we should be looking for alternatives. The old saying goes 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' As cotton and leather are so rough on the environment, we'd say it's past time to look for a new solution.
Researchers across the globe have recently come across a promising lead in the search for a cleaner alternative in the shape of the humble mushroom. Quick and easy to grow, sure. An essential part of the Full English Breakfast, arguably. A replacement for shoe leather or the cotton in our t-shirts?
Well, maybe not quite yet, but the research is very promising. For example, Danish product designer Jonas Edvard has developed a product called Myx. The fibre is created from mycelium–the base layer on which mushrooms are commercially grown. Once its done the job, mycelium is usually thrown away. But Edvard mixes it with hemp and linen waste, byproducts of clothing and rope production. The end result is a stable, strong fibre with all kinds of uses. The mycelium gives Myx a resilient structure, helped by the natural occurrence in the material of chitin–the stuff that makes crustacean shells so strong. Low cost, environmentally friendly and making virtue out of waste products? These are all benefits we applaud highly here at The Pier. Hooray for Myx!
Over in Italy, R&D gurus Grado Zero Espace have come up with MuSkin, an entirely vegan alternative to leather. Made from mushroom caps and tanned without recourse to toxic chemicals, MuSkin is tough yet pliable and easy to adapt to all sorts of potential uses. Think of a material that has the texture of suede, but a much softer feel.
GZE have noted MuSkin's ability to absorb moisture and are looking to use it in items like shoe insoles and watch straps. It's also breathable and water repellent, so they've started making hats out of the stuff. They don't mention how easy it is to scale MuSkin up for commercial applications, but it's exciting to see how versatile it could be.
Our View: many of the materials we depend upon for our everyday clothing needs have been with us for a very long time. In fact, skins and furs would have been some of the first clothes we'd have ever worn. So it seems only right that in the 21st century we should be looking for alternatives. The old saying goes 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' As cotton and leather are so rough on the environment, we'd say it's past time to look for a new solution.
Tuesday, 12 July 2016
Charities Need To Go Mobile
Charities are seeing massive drops in their donated revenue over the past few years. There are all sorts of factors in play that could explain it, from austerity to a general sense of mistrust over the sector as a whole.
But this isn't the whole story. We are a charitable nation. Just look at the huge amounts we give every year to funds like Comic Relief, or how generously we respond to disaster relief appeals. Or the explosion in fundraising sites like JustGiving. We're happy to give to a worthy cause. What's changing, more often than not, is in the way we choose to donate.
Let's look again at Comic Relief and disaster relief funds like DEC. The one thing they have in common is how easy they make it for people to donate. When it becomes as simple as dropping a text to give a fiver to your favourite cause, the excuses not to put your hand in your pocket start to disappear.
Using PayPal or phone apps has another advantage: they erase the barrier between your wallet or purse and the purchase. Consider: when you have to dig about for loose change or pull out your cash roll, you have the opportunity to think about what you're doing. Every second spent on fetching money is a moment when you could think 'actually, no, I don't want to do that.' This is not what fundraisers want to happen. Why do you think so many TV ads end with the words 'do it now'? Don't think, just give.
These are common retail lessons that many charities seem unable, or unwilling to learn. But it seems foolish when it could make the difference between sink or swim for them. It seems crazy, when so many of us live on our phones, that charities are not taking advantage of new fundraising opportunities.
Paul De Gregario, head of mobile at Open Fundraising, an agency that works with some of the biggest charities out there, makes the point loud and clear:
And this is just the start. Gamification of charitable donation could be the next big thing. The news this week has been full of stories about the newest Pokemon game, which gets people out on the streets to catch their favourite beasties using Augmented Reality. Imagine a situation where you could do the same with a charity game, winning prizes that drop micro-donations to a chosen charity. It's proven that gamers are more than happy to spend real money on virtual wares. Why shouldn't a tiny percentage of that cash go towards good causes?
Our View: It's an exciting time to be working on new methods of charity giving. A little imagination and the willingness to make the process a fun one could level, or even reverse the plunge in donation levels.
But this isn't the whole story. We are a charitable nation. Just look at the huge amounts we give every year to funds like Comic Relief, or how generously we respond to disaster relief appeals. Or the explosion in fundraising sites like JustGiving. We're happy to give to a worthy cause. What's changing, more often than not, is in the way we choose to donate.
Let's look again at Comic Relief and disaster relief funds like DEC. The one thing they have in common is how easy they make it for people to donate. When it becomes as simple as dropping a text to give a fiver to your favourite cause, the excuses not to put your hand in your pocket start to disappear.
Using PayPal or phone apps has another advantage: they erase the barrier between your wallet or purse and the purchase. Consider: when you have to dig about for loose change or pull out your cash roll, you have the opportunity to think about what you're doing. Every second spent on fetching money is a moment when you could think 'actually, no, I don't want to do that.' This is not what fundraisers want to happen. Why do you think so many TV ads end with the words 'do it now'? Don't think, just give.
These are common retail lessons that many charities seem unable, or unwilling to learn. But it seems foolish when it could make the difference between sink or swim for them. It seems crazy, when so many of us live on our phones, that charities are not taking advantage of new fundraising opportunities.
Paul De Gregario, head of mobile at Open Fundraising, an agency that works with some of the biggest charities out there, makes the point loud and clear:
The story behind the charity, meanwhile, can be as important as the method by which we donate to them. The growth in vignettes that Comic Relief does so well, those mini-stories that focus on the people behind the appeals, bring the reason to donate home to people. Using YouTube and video apps to tug at the heartstrings, with a clickable link to a donation site at the right moment, is a powerful way to get the public donating. None of it is tricky to do. All it needs is a board of trustees willing to take a punt on new methods.We need to make the act of giving as frictionless as possible. The future of fundraising and technology is firmly embedded in our phones and how we use them.”
And this is just the start. Gamification of charitable donation could be the next big thing. The news this week has been full of stories about the newest Pokemon game, which gets people out on the streets to catch their favourite beasties using Augmented Reality. Imagine a situation where you could do the same with a charity game, winning prizes that drop micro-donations to a chosen charity. It's proven that gamers are more than happy to spend real money on virtual wares. Why shouldn't a tiny percentage of that cash go towards good causes?
Our View: It's an exciting time to be working on new methods of charity giving. A little imagination and the willingness to make the process a fun one could level, or even reverse the plunge in donation levels.
Friday, 17 June 2016
WOVNS: rethreading textiles
A problem for small-run clothing producers and home enthusiasts has always been access to high-quality materials. It's easy for the big brands to order up hundreds of yards of printed fabric for their new collections. But if you only want fifty, or ten, or even just one for a soft furnishing project? Forget it, ain't gonna happen.
The Jacquard Loom was one of the great motors of the Industrial Revolution. Invented in 1801 by Joseph Marie Jacquard, it could create reams of fabric, taking instructions from punch-cards as to which coloured thread went where in a given design. If you recognise the notion it's because from this simple idea, Charles Babbage and other innovators would create the foundations of the modern computer.
And the age of the computer could mean revolution in the field of textile production. A new Kickstarter project called WOVNS will soon allow anyone to order custom designed Jacquard-weave fabric in any quantity they choose. Even a single yard of fabric will soon become affordable.
The thing with woven textiles is that they are labour-intensive and complex to produce. Loading of thread and yarn-spinning are high-overhead jobs, needing time and expertise. All of this comes at a cost.
The WOVNS platform aims to change all that. Working closely with textile manufacturers, the WOVNS team has figured out a workflow that enables any digital design to be dropped onto the work-line and woven to order. It means that even prototyping becomes accessible to the home user. Want to run off a yard or two of that new design to see how it works as a bag, throw or scarf? It's easy, and of course once you're ready to take over the world with your new design you can scale up accordingly. With a wide selection of coloured and quality textiles on which to weave your design, the possibilities become almost endless. And of course, the low-waste, print-to-order model is eminently sustainable.
This kind of innovation has major potential, allowing smaller manufacturers access to high-quality fabrics in quantities that simply would have been uneconomical to produce using conventional methods. It also gives manufacturers access to a whole new range of customers, and even the domestic market. WOVNS is also supporting the design community with a curated range, The WOVNS Collection. Artists who make it onto the list can see their ideas writ large on bags, clutches and cushions, and they recieve royalties on every yard printed.
Our View: we like to think that Jacquard would be pleased with the invention on offer here. His intention with the loom that bears his name was to free textile workers from drudgery. WOVNS is giving a new generation the chance to see their dreams laid out in fabric.
For more on WOVNS, to support the project and to sign up to the platform, visit the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wovns/wovns-a-platform-for-on-demand-production-of-woven
In a small piece of administrative news, Ian has granted me a little leave, so I'll be leaving my writing hut at the end of The Pier and heading up to the wifi-free joys of the Lake District. Jamming my thumb hard on the reset button.
See you in a week.
The Jacquard Loom was one of the great motors of the Industrial Revolution. Invented in 1801 by Joseph Marie Jacquard, it could create reams of fabric, taking instructions from punch-cards as to which coloured thread went where in a given design. If you recognise the notion it's because from this simple idea, Charles Babbage and other innovators would create the foundations of the modern computer.
And the age of the computer could mean revolution in the field of textile production. A new Kickstarter project called WOVNS will soon allow anyone to order custom designed Jacquard-weave fabric in any quantity they choose. Even a single yard of fabric will soon become affordable.
The thing with woven textiles is that they are labour-intensive and complex to produce. Loading of thread and yarn-spinning are high-overhead jobs, needing time and expertise. All of this comes at a cost.
The WOVNS platform aims to change all that. Working closely with textile manufacturers, the WOVNS team has figured out a workflow that enables any digital design to be dropped onto the work-line and woven to order. It means that even prototyping becomes accessible to the home user. Want to run off a yard or two of that new design to see how it works as a bag, throw or scarf? It's easy, and of course once you're ready to take over the world with your new design you can scale up accordingly. With a wide selection of coloured and quality textiles on which to weave your design, the possibilities become almost endless. And of course, the low-waste, print-to-order model is eminently sustainable.
This kind of innovation has major potential, allowing smaller manufacturers access to high-quality fabrics in quantities that simply would have been uneconomical to produce using conventional methods. It also gives manufacturers access to a whole new range of customers, and even the domestic market. WOVNS is also supporting the design community with a curated range, The WOVNS Collection. Artists who make it onto the list can see their ideas writ large on bags, clutches and cushions, and they recieve royalties on every yard printed.
Our View: we like to think that Jacquard would be pleased with the invention on offer here. His intention with the loom that bears his name was to free textile workers from drudgery. WOVNS is giving a new generation the chance to see their dreams laid out in fabric.
For more on WOVNS, to support the project and to sign up to the platform, visit the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wovns/wovns-a-platform-for-on-demand-production-of-woven
In a small piece of administrative news, Ian has granted me a little leave, so I'll be leaving my writing hut at the end of The Pier and heading up to the wifi-free joys of the Lake District. Jamming my thumb hard on the reset button.
See you in a week.
Wednesday, 1 June 2016
Tap-To-Donate: How Technology Could Revolutionise Charity Fundraising.
Moving on from yesterday's post a little, let's consider the way that we are moving slowly but steadily towards a cashless society. Contactless tech is being used ever more frequently for the sorts of purchases that would normally have us digging in our pockets for change–coffee, a pint of milk, the morning paper, even a pint of beer. As most retailers will now accept tap-and-pay for transactions up to thirty quid, it seems the weekly trip to the cash point is gradually slipping down the list of vital tasks.
But where does this leave charities? As I mentioned last time, most of us still donate to a good cause using cash. If there is a genuine trend to go out without any spare change, then will charities, already struggling with a 5% drop in donations since 2014, find it even harder to raise funds?
There are solutions, but they'll take a little bit of radical thinking. What if, for example, we could use our mobiles to give to charity? Apple Pay and Android Pay are already rolling out to major retailers and suppliers like the London Underground. In conjunction with a little smart coding and a free app, there are definite opportunities out there.
Take Busk, which is a mobile app designed for street entertainers–another group that's always been dependent on the largesse of strangers with their spare change. Busk allows people to find, connect and most importantly reward their favourite musicians directly from a friendly, intuitive interface. Part of The Busking Project, the notion is to network, allowing street entertainers to share tips, tricks and help each other out in times of trouble.
The problem with Busk, however laudable the aim, is that it doesn't allow for spontaneity. You can't easily squirt funds directly to any performer you happen to come across. What's needed is something a little simpler to apply on the street.
One elegant solution is being trialled by our pals at the Big Issue. Their sellers stand or fall by the amount of money they make on the streets every day. With cash on the way out, they need a new way to gather funds.
The Big Issue are trailing contactless payments to allow their sellers to take the cover price of the latest issue out of your account, and directly into theirs with a simple tap. Quick, easy, secure–and it means there's no danger of a mugging wiping out a day's profits.
This kind of innovation could be a great way for street fundraisers to operate, but why not take things further? An idea could be to take donations with a simple tap on a smart jacket, using the sort of tech that Levi's and Google are working on. You could even define different areas on the garment to take different amounts. Tap on the chest for a pound, the arm for a fiver. Make things a little bit cheeky, maybe, with a tenner for a tap on the bum?
There's a long way to go with this kind of innovation, but it's clear that charities need to think outside the (collection) box if they want to halt the slide in donations that we've seen recently. Making it easy and fun to give to a good cause is definitely an avenue worth exploring. Apps and RFID tech could make a real difference to the way we give to our favourite charities in the future.
But where does this leave charities? As I mentioned last time, most of us still donate to a good cause using cash. If there is a genuine trend to go out without any spare change, then will charities, already struggling with a 5% drop in donations since 2014, find it even harder to raise funds?
There are solutions, but they'll take a little bit of radical thinking. What if, for example, we could use our mobiles to give to charity? Apple Pay and Android Pay are already rolling out to major retailers and suppliers like the London Underground. In conjunction with a little smart coding and a free app, there are definite opportunities out there.
Take Busk, which is a mobile app designed for street entertainers–another group that's always been dependent on the largesse of strangers with their spare change. Busk allows people to find, connect and most importantly reward their favourite musicians directly from a friendly, intuitive interface. Part of The Busking Project, the notion is to network, allowing street entertainers to share tips, tricks and help each other out in times of trouble.
The problem with Busk, however laudable the aim, is that it doesn't allow for spontaneity. You can't easily squirt funds directly to any performer you happen to come across. What's needed is something a little simpler to apply on the street.
One elegant solution is being trialled by our pals at the Big Issue. Their sellers stand or fall by the amount of money they make on the streets every day. With cash on the way out, they need a new way to gather funds.
The Big Issue are trailing contactless payments to allow their sellers to take the cover price of the latest issue out of your account, and directly into theirs with a simple tap. Quick, easy, secure–and it means there's no danger of a mugging wiping out a day's profits.
This kind of innovation could be a great way for street fundraisers to operate, but why not take things further? An idea could be to take donations with a simple tap on a smart jacket, using the sort of tech that Levi's and Google are working on. You could even define different areas on the garment to take different amounts. Tap on the chest for a pound, the arm for a fiver. Make things a little bit cheeky, maybe, with a tenner for a tap on the bum?
There's a long way to go with this kind of innovation, but it's clear that charities need to think outside the (collection) box if they want to halt the slide in donations that we've seen recently. Making it easy and fun to give to a good cause is definitely an avenue worth exploring. Apps and RFID tech could make a real difference to the way we give to our favourite charities in the future.
Friday, 27 May 2016
Riding The Road To Smart Wearability
The trick to making an item of clothing sustainable is building it to last. If you don't feel the need to throw it away, you won't. If that item becomes as indispensable to you as, say, your mobile phone, then you'll be more inclined to look after it, and make it last.
That makes the new collaboration between Levi's and of all people Google so interesting. The two giants have been working on the concept of smart clothing–items that do more than keep you warm and dry. WIth their Project Jacquard, they might have hit the jackpot.
The first iteration of their team-up is the Commuter Trucker Jacket, a sturdy denim number that looks and wears just like a classic piece of Levi's clothing. But it's loaded with electronics, and the yarn it's made from is interwoven with conductive fibres. This means that it can connect with mobile devices, and allow the wearer to interact with them using swipe and tap gestures.
The target market for this prototype is urban cyclists. The sort of rider who doesn't like to go to the office in Lycra. Wearing the Commuter Trucker Jacket, you'll be able to skip songs, or reject an incoming phone call with a simple tap on the sleeve. It's a good idea, meaning that cyclists can concentrate on their ride more safely without needing to fiddle with their phones.
Most importantly, though, the jacket is designed to fit neatly into everyday use. It's waterproof (again, an important consideration for cyclists) with the exception of a detachable electronic tab that sets up the connection between the garment and your phone. If it gets dirty, take out the tag and sling the jacket in the washer. No muss, no fuss (although as someone that regularly leaves keys, change and pens in his pockets pre-wash you'd like to hope the tag is robust enough to survive the occasional accident).
Our View: There's no doubt that the Commuter Trucker Jacket is a desirable item, and here at The Pier we'll be interested to see what comes out of Project Jacquard over the next couple of years. The balance of price, utility and wearability is one to get right if smart clothing is to take off in the way that wearables have with the advent of Fitbits and the Apple Watch. I have to admit, though, this particular item is right up my street and I hope it becomes more than just a proof of concept.
That makes the new collaboration between Levi's and of all people Google so interesting. The two giants have been working on the concept of smart clothing–items that do more than keep you warm and dry. WIth their Project Jacquard, they might have hit the jackpot.
The first iteration of their team-up is the Commuter Trucker Jacket, a sturdy denim number that looks and wears just like a classic piece of Levi's clothing. But it's loaded with electronics, and the yarn it's made from is interwoven with conductive fibres. This means that it can connect with mobile devices, and allow the wearer to interact with them using swipe and tap gestures.
The target market for this prototype is urban cyclists. The sort of rider who doesn't like to go to the office in Lycra. Wearing the Commuter Trucker Jacket, you'll be able to skip songs, or reject an incoming phone call with a simple tap on the sleeve. It's a good idea, meaning that cyclists can concentrate on their ride more safely without needing to fiddle with their phones.
Most importantly, though, the jacket is designed to fit neatly into everyday use. It's waterproof (again, an important consideration for cyclists) with the exception of a detachable electronic tab that sets up the connection between the garment and your phone. If it gets dirty, take out the tag and sling the jacket in the washer. No muss, no fuss (although as someone that regularly leaves keys, change and pens in his pockets pre-wash you'd like to hope the tag is robust enough to survive the occasional accident).
Our View: There's no doubt that the Commuter Trucker Jacket is a desirable item, and here at The Pier we'll be interested to see what comes out of Project Jacquard over the next couple of years. The balance of price, utility and wearability is one to get right if smart clothing is to take off in the way that wearables have with the advent of Fitbits and the Apple Watch. I have to admit, though, this particular item is right up my street and I hope it becomes more than just a proof of concept.
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