During the Apparel Solutions panel, we discussed how we made this happen with Rochambeau, by incorporating the designer elements into the connector: we integrated beautiful art onto the care label directly and used a heat transfer logo to indicate where the technology resides in the jacket. The technology is a feature of the jacket, not a detractor.
It has to be relevant and it has to work.
During a brand leadership panel with Liz Bacelar, founder of thought leading fashion+tech platform The Current, there were clear themes of relevance and reliability. The entire panel agreed that the big shift this year from a simple hunger for great ideas to a new hunger for great execution. Technology that is not reliable or relevant will inherently fail, regardless of how great the idea may be.
Nilofer Vahora, VP of Product Innovation at Rebecca Minkoff, agreed and specifically highlighted the Apparel Solutions smart bag collaboration, which launched last month during NY Fashion Week. She explained how we partnered to explore a wide variety of connector technology and experiences, narrowing the opportunities down to focus in on what would resonate most with a Rebecca Minkoff customer. Ultimately, while there are a lot of options out there, technology has to be something that is relevant and reliable to gain traction with consumers.
Physical things are now digital assets.
During the panel with Apparel Solutions, Lex Kendall, COO and founder of The New Stand, shared his thoughts on how truly special products provide a surprise and delight moment. In the case of the smart BMBR BMBR jacket,