The wearables lab: How fashion+technology will change the consumer-brand relationship

Wearables are not for Lady Gaga anymore. Fashion items that incorporate LEDs, GPS, ibeacons, emotional sensors are hitting the market each day. But how will this impact labels, physical stores, as well as the consumer of the future? These are just a few of the questions asked by TrueStart.

"I read a source yesterday that said one in three people think that wearable technology makes you look ridiculous," commented Matthew Drinkwater, head of fashion innovation agency at the London College of Fashion during the R:evolution 2.0 conference. Together with Benjamin Males, the co-founder and CTO of Studio XO and Ann-Kristen Abel, co-founder of the Convivial Project, they discussed how the current consumer and retailer perceptions of wearables is shifting.

TrueStart, in partnership with Land Securities, helps support innovation in the retail and consumer sectors, with the aim of taking the most cutting-edge technology into the retail sector. Housing up to 20 new businesses a year in Victoria, London, the innovation hub brings together entrepreneurs, retailers and creatives to develop and test the latest retail ideas.