5 Great Ideas From Runway 2.0 APAC

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening" – Coco Chanel

And what is happening, now that almost everyone is a smartphone owner and the internet of things is booming, is that fashion and technology are coming together like never before.

That was the theme behind Runway 2.0 APAC, Asia’s largest fashion and technology conference that was held at EX 8 Subang Jaya. If you missed the chance to attend the event, don’t worry. Here is a quick recap on what you have missed.

Wearable technology as fashion

Wearable technology is all the rage, but the craze goes beyond eyewear such as Google Glass and smart timepieces such as Apple’s iWatch. Designers now have the opportunity to work with technology to create apparel, accessories and fitness wear that can do everything from monitor your heart rate to charge your smartphone all while being stylish and fashionable.

Instant t-shirt designer

Have you ever been in that moment where you saw an amazing picture and knew that would make a great t-shirt? Or knew you could do better than that t-shirt design you saw at the mall? How about giving your best friend a new personalize swag t-shirt? Now you can. Doobie lets you immediately design a personalized t-shirt and apparel by choosing designs from their collection, upload designs or photos directly from Instagram, albums or by simply taking a picture. You can also add personalized quotes or text to your photo or artwork. Doobie is available for download in Playstore and AppStore.

Going beyond e-commerce

With the increase usage of smartphones in Southeast Asia, fashion and beauty ecommerce players are going over and beyond the usual ecommerce landscape. They are now starting to incorporate mobile apps into their business. Forget about the usual mobile store, now you can even try on clothes in a virtual fitting room or try sample of cosmetics with the help of your smartphone camera. Don’t have time to survey the price of a certain product? Snap a picture and let the power of technology help you.

Innovating in the Muslim-wear space

A decade ago, putting faith and fashion together may have seemed like antithetical to many. Now modest wear has become more than just a religious thing. With the growth of ecommerce coming into the fashion industry, both big and niche ecommerce players are providing modest wear and Muslim wear to suit the needs of the community. And with the help of social media, such as Instagram and Pinterest, influencers are reaching out to the community and more and more modest wear innovation are happening by regular everyday people. If you are looking to go into fashion ecommerce, this is great space to consider.

Crowdfunding the fashion industry

When we hear crowdfunding, we often think of technology startups trying to raise money to grow into something bigger and not fashion startups. In fact, the fashion industry rank 13 of 13 among industries that raise money via crowdfunding on Kickstarter. That’s not necessarily the bad news, however. Crowdfunding websites reported that the money raised for fashion industry projects was 500 percent higher in 2013 than 2012. Indeed, crowdfunding is changing the world of fashion. It is attracting new and creative designs, especially when mashed with technology.