Fashion House Teams Up with Google to Create Personalized Clothes

Category: Technology/Innovations

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. incorporate / ɪnˈkɔr pəˌreɪt / (v) – to include one thing in another
    Example:

    The author incorporates real-life events into her stories.


  2. tailor / ˈteɪ lər / (v) – to make adjustments to fit a particular need
    Example:

    The dress was tailored according to the bride’s requests.


  3. whereabouts / ˈʰwɛər əˌbaʊts / (n) – the location or place where a person is
    Example:

    The police used technology to find out the suspect’s whereabouts.


  4. revolutionize / ˌrɛv əˈlu ʃəˌnaɪz / (v) – to bring change to something
    Example:

    Technology has revolutionized shopping.


  5. retain / rɪˈteɪn / (v) – to keep having or holding something for a period of time (e.g. heat)
    Example:

    They released a new jacket that is perfect for winter because it can retain heat.


Article

Read the text below.

Technology meets style as Google pairs up with fashion house Ivyrevel  /ˈaɪ viˈrɛv əl / to create a personalized piece of clothing called data dress.


Ivyrevel is an online women’s clothing store supported by H&M and Paypal. The fashion house has a Fashion Tech Lab in Stockholm. It incorporates advanced technology to the traditional process of making clothes to create something new and unique for its customers.


Now, the fashion house is working with Google to create specially tailored clothes, or data dresses, that suit the lifestyle, needs, habits, and even the environment of each customer. Advanced technology will be used in gathering data for the creation of the clothes, but the products themselves will have no technological features.


Currently, Google is testing the data-gathering app for the project. The app relies on a technology called Awareness API, which utilizes a smartphone’s sensors to collect information for a week about users’ whereabouts, usual activities, and the weather in their location. After the app gathers data, Ivyrevel then creates a piece of clothing based on the data, which can be purchased in its store.


Aside from Ivyrevel, other clothing lines are also revolutionizing their clothes using technology.


For instance, Ralph Lauren made a biometrics shirt with microfibers that can detect a wearer’s biometrics and record the data in an app. Using the data, the app can make a personalized workout program that suits the wearer. Another example is Uniqlo, which created temperature regulating jackets. The clothes feature technology that fights odor and lets wearers retain heat during the cold weather.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Among the three fashion innovations mentioned in the article (data dress, biometrics shirt, and temperature regulating jackets), which are you most likely to use? Why?
• Do you think clothing companies should prioritize personalization in their designs? Why or why not?

Discussion B

• How else can technology be used to innovate fashion?
• What other technological breakthroughs in fashion would you like to try?