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This is 🪩The Digital Runway 🪩 your guide to understanding and leveraging Fashion, Tech & Trends! 🚀

✨ February is Fashion Month and Tech has taken over the Runway from Adobe x Christian Cowan to NFC Chipped Nails to Smart Glasses.

In this Issue #003:

👠 Hot off the Runway: News you need to know and why it matters

🧠 Runway Insights: Strategic insights to apply to your brand

⚡️ Fashion Flash: Hot Takes on Fashion’s Digital Revolution

✍️ The Runway Diaries: BTS & Story Time

1. The Future is Virtual + Global with Coach

📚 What you need to know

• Coach dominated NYFW with its Fall 2024 RTW Collection and in the same week launched “Find Your Courage” Campaign inspired by AI.

• The campaign includes Global Celebrities (Lil Nas X, Camila Mendes, Youngji Lee, Kōki, Wu Jinyan) and Virtual Influencer imma, creating a virtual universe merging physical and realms through gaming and activations.

💡 Why this matters to the Future of Fashion

• Virtual Influencers. Partnering with Virtual Influencer, imma, challenges the norms that shows Coach’s strategic chess move to usher in the Digital Revolution when it comes to self expression and digital identity. More brands will create their own virtual influencers or partner with existing ones.

• Tech Driven Creativity. A CGI infused campaign inspired by AI signals the brand’s ability to connect the dots between Fashion and Tech plus create trends that resonate with the next generation. Tech should be studied, adopted and leveraged like in this case.

Read more on WWD here

2. 💅🏻 Chipped is ON the Runway

📚 What you need to know

• CHIPPED (NFC Chipped Nails launched by Winny.eth and KIKI.World, lets you share social media profiles or ETH addresses with a tap) walked the Dauphinette Fashion Show at NYFW.

💡 Why this matters to Beauty Brands & Consumers

• Wearable Tech: CHIPPED are tech-equipped nails that you can easily wear and more economical than getting a gel manicure. Brands need to strategize how to integrate tech into products already in their assortment, then new products (to make their lives and bags easier).

• Networking Solution: Sharing contact information while networking at events is a problem that CHIPPED solves by tap and connect. Problem, Solution, Product.

💡TIP: Nails can be filed down for those who prefer short nails like myself (🤝 confirmed by Winny).

Read more on Vogue Business here

3. Sephora Universe: A Gateway to Digital Beauty

📚 What you need to know

• Sephora unveils its Web3 platform SEPHORA Universe. Currently invite only and accessible in Europe, but users can join the waitlist.

• Create avatars to explore Sephora’s Digital World with branded experiences, exclusive digital collectibles, and virtual events.

  

💡 Why this matters to the Beauty Industry & Loyalty Marketers

• Digital Beauty Playground: 24/7 immersive hub for Global SEPHORA fans that unlocks major opportunities for marketing, brand collaborations and consumer experiences without the constraint of a physical store location and opening hours.

• Next Level Loyalty: Opportunity for SEPHORA to merge loyalty with gamification. I’m thinking Roblox style games and challenges rewarded with the usual (points, products, discounts and experiences). But, take it a step further by rewarding UGC content & engagement. Is this what you’re thinking Sephora or other Beauty brands? If not, let’s connect.

Read more on Jing Daily here

Fashion’s Digital Revolution: Wearable Tech

COUTURE OR CHAOS: This tech + fashion marriage has wedding bells ringing 🔔

Adobe technology brought to life the Primrose Dress at Christian Cowan AW24 at NYFW. 45,000 hand placed crystals, 1264 laser cut polymer petals, 144 Primrose petals cut in Cowan’s iconic stars, and liquid crystal magic shifting between gray and ivory - breathing life into the dress 👗.

💡Why this matters to the Future of Fashion

Tech took the runway by storm (or stars in this case) this season bringing cinematic dreams into reality. Tech companies & Fashion brands will be the NEW brand partnerships. Who will wear this to the red carpet? 👀

adobe

View more on Instagram

⚡️ Smart Glasses

While everyone is talking about the Apple Vision Pro, the most slept on wearable tech right now is the RAY-BAN Meta Smart Glasses. If you want to create content, listen to music and make calls, then this one may be for you.

On my way to NYFW, I unboxed the RAY-BAN Meta Smart Glasses, tested them, then Livestreamed the Hologram Runway Show at Digital Fashion Week and filmed how to use a snap filter on the FIT Building.

💭 What do you think about Smart Glasses?

jumpstartjaney

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Going to NYFW for Digital Fashion Week to see the First Hologram Runway Show was a part Fashion History! 🎉 Congratulations again Claire, Antonio & Isa!

NYFW had so many tech moments and I’m manifesting that I will be there to cover Fashion Month for you LIVE with wearable tech like RAY-BAN Meta Glasses.

🧠 2 Big Ideas after NYFW about Fashion Tech

1) Wearable Tech needs to be wearable. The RAY-BAN Meta Glasses are the accessory that isn’t hyped enough. The MAJOR use case is for Fashion and even entertainment. If you go to Fashion shows all you see is a sea of phones 📱 taking content… Meta could sponsor a fashion show, equip the audience with Smart Glasses and pull an Adobe to create a dynamic tech-enabled physical fashion piece. Haven’t thought about this? Let’s talk. Know someone at Meta? Forward them this newsletter. Thank you.

2) Traditional Fashion is boring. With the internet and social we’ve literally seen it all past, present and future. Unless brands are innovating they will die and become fashion history roadkill. Maybe your brand doesn’t have the money to spend a bag to develop for Spatial Computing and the Apple Vision Pro or can’t get it approved by the suits with money. Bear in mind, 200K units of Apple Vision Pro were sold (majority probably competitors). Wearable tech is a more realistic strategy by adding tech to the existing product assortment to create tech-enabled products that are saleable.

🎬 That’s a wrap!

Right now is London Fashion Week (LFW), then Paris Fashion Week (PFW) and NFT Paris for all you degens. I can’t wait to hear all about it and see it unfold on social media especially 9dcc’s inaugural collection with 14 looks & 30 items.

- Janey Park, Founder of 🪩 The Digital Runway 🪩

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