The potential impact of ‘internet of things’ on the fashion sector

Internet of things or IoT refers to worldwide devices connected to the internet, sharing and collecting all the data. Through internet, information can be exchanged and communicated. Fashion is a part of culture, it contains self-fashioning such as street styles. At the same time, fashion also shows the way things are made, fashion comes in certain forms. Fashion can be understood as guiding, innovating and out of standing. Fashion is a sector that can be influenced by IoT.

To read this report, we can find the topic is meaningful. In the contemporary society, fashion is a closely related vocabulary. IoT as a medium can clearly show good and bad influence on fashion. Whether as a fashion buyer or seller, IoT can help to make some changes. After read this report, reader can know how to use IoT to help fashion company growth, such as use IoT to save cost and time. Reader also can identify whether the fashion company did good job or not. Because IoT can connect things by using internet, reader can take some information from this report to evaluate IoT on other sector. After read this report, reader can create more IoT thinking.

In this report, the topic is relevant to marketing research skills which I have learnt from the MSc International Management program. It includes all the data collection skills. I have checked the resource from internet, books and so on. I have listed all parts of contents, in addition, I used tables or chars to show my finding. The structure I used can help my reader quickly and clearly to read the report.

From tables and charts, reader can visualize the date. From the subtitle, reader can easily know the following content. This report is aim to analysis the relationship between ‘ Internet of things’ and ‘ Fashion sector’, after read this, reader can know whether IoT benefit fashion sector or bring bad impact, so that reader as buyer or seller can make good decision.

In order to research the relationship between ‘ Internet of things’ and ‘ Fashion sector’, I have set three objectives. Firstly, I want to demonstrate IoT is an important medium to influence fashion industry. For example, fashion sector needs new technology to bring creation inspiration, IoT can help to make some design. Secondly, I want to state IoT can help fashion company to increase sales, for instance, by increasing loyalty. To increase loyalty is very important in every company, after read this report, reader can also use IoT to increase loyalty in other industry. Last but not least, I want to explain how the modern young people use IoT to find fashion. It is a hot topic around young society, young people always like to closely follow the trend of fashion. After read this report, the reader especially the young reader will know more fashion things by using IoT.

In the following, I used research skill which learnt from MSc International Management (Marketing) program to talk about the previous work by others. I used critical analysis which is very important in my program. According to previous work done by others, I listed what I have searched that haven’t been found by others. I have presented all my findings and discussion in this report. In order to solve problems, I will give some recommendations.

1. Smart cloth

In our daily life, we are always connected with internet. People use smart watches in the digital world. Oliver Behr said the next one can be smart cloth. The so-called smart cloth is cloth has specific function. It contains digital and technical character. It is a big opportunity for fashion industry to become great economic sector in the world.

Oliver Behr said smart cloth can help to improve our healthy lifestyle, it will collect our data of body activity and tell us what is the best activity. Smart cloth brings benefit to elderly people. As well know, because of the weakening of muscle strength, elderly people sometimes have trouble of moving. Smart cloth can help them standing up and sitting upright. People call this kind of cloth artificial exoskeleton.

This is the first step that IoT can influence the elderly people’s fashion. However, the fashion company needs to consider how to introduce smart cloth to them. According to new research, there are 27% of customers over the age of 55 think brands too concentrate on young generation. A brand called Flora ProActiv which selling health-related product provide many helpful information on website, it helps elderly customers to rebuild confidence by look at the “ success stories” section. To learn from Flora ProActiv, fashion company needs to give more care to elderly people. Because the target customer is elderly generation, the IoT technology needs to make sure the smart cloth must be very light.

Oliver Behr also said football jersey can be smart cloth, it can be ticket for audience to access the match. At the same time, people who wearing the cloth can pre-order food and drinks with special offer. As well know, every football game has a lot of audience. If the smart cloth company has good marketing skill to set IoT as selling point, this is a good opportunity to increase sales.

IoT as a medium makes fashion industry keep creating new technology, it helps audience to live easily. On the other hand, smart cloth also has defects such as cleaning problem. Not every smart cloth is easy to wash, people could worry that washing will affect the function of smart cloth. Although smart cloth using IoT technology, the company needs to make sure the product has reasonable price so that every potential customer can afford it.

2. AR, VR, 3D on fashion

I found many website resources talk about using AR, VR and 3D imaging to do fashion, they are hot trend in nowadays industry. AR is short form of Augmented Reality, it is an IoT technology that help us to expand the physical world. AR appears in the existing environment, it helps adding digital information layers such as voice, video and diagram. AR can be showed on different platforms, for example glasses, hand phone and screen. VR is Virtual Reality, it means things are not actually existing. VR is created by IoT technology, experiencer can see unreal world through head-mounted display. For instance, when you watch a VR earthquake film in cinema, you will see the earthquake happen in the head-mounted display. At this moment, you can take off the device, and you will see nothing. VR can immerse you in another world, sometimes reality does not allow you to do something, VR can let you do it. 3D is three-dimension, 3D imaging relies on stereoscopic photography. The different between 3D imaging and ordinary imaging is 3D use the principle of binocular stereo vision. Experiencer can see the three-dimensional image from video media, so that they can have the feeling of being there.

The resource from Rajashree Rao shows with the help from AR, VR and 3D imaging, designer can overcome the difficulties of design and pattern sewing. The IoT technology also helps models conduct a series of experiments before the final performance. IoT helps fast developing fashion industry create new business model, it decreases company cost and save time, the final customers can participate as a part of whole fashion industry process. Rajashree Rao listed some famous brands as examples to show how IoT influence fashion industry.

Fashion brand Charlotte Tibury launched first perfume, Kate Moss has starred the VR perfume commercial which is first ever. The theme of the commercial is the fragrance of dreams, it brings new experience for the guests of New York Fashion Week. Tommy Hilfiger also use VR technology, it launched in-store VR fashion show, so that enhances retail store’s consumer experience. Customer can wear a VR earphone and see seasonal designer products debut from runway. Balenciaga also has similar VR runway, ELLE use AR technology to produce the annual “ Women in Hollywood” magazine.