You and I are not the only ones gearing up for Christmas and New Year's Eve this week; as we speak, brands are doing exactly the same thing. As I wrote in my previous post, a lot has been happening lately in the fashion tech space, this month's latest buzz comes from Apple. The tech giant has started recruiting fashion and luxury experts ahead of the Apple Watch debut in January. The industry heads recently hired by Apple are huge in the fashion space. I'm inspired by these figures, especially the likes of Paul Deneve, the former CEO of Yves Saint Laurent, who has a great reputation and will act as the fashion insider reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook.
Since former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts took the helm on Apple's retail efforts, there have been talks of the Apple Watch transforming the Apple Store into a jewellery store. This recent fashion hire move by Apple was just a matter of time as design and fashion go hand in hand and Apple is the leader when it comes to combining technology with design. The company pays particular attention to how products look and feel and as such has created a trend that sees people proudly flashing their Apple devices, in the same way that they would show off a Chanel bag for example.
Yet we must not forget that Tim Cook of Apple has done a great job of recapturing a spirit of innovation that was born from Steve Jobs ' legacy. Cook has done this by unveiling products such as Apple Watch and new iPhone models that take these devices into the realms of fashion. No wonder Apple continues to smash its own launch records, as the company recently reported a surge in revenues thanks to the iPhone 6 which boosted iPhone sales revenue jump a fifth from last year.
Apple has changed the way people interpret and interact with technology, in the same way that many fashion labels have done in the past - making a mundane object stylish and mainstream. Bearing this in mind, Apple hiring fashion people into its team is not much of a surprise - it's a natural evolution.
In an increasingly competitive market, others are trying to break into the wearables space by making fashion the focus. Take for example Sony - the business is currently working on watches that are made from electronic paper. They set up a "Fashion Entertainments" department that looks into how electronic paper can be used to make fashion products. The Fes Watch has been born out of this department, whose wristband is based on electronic paper and changes its appearance depending on the user's gesture. The watch comes with 24 design patterns, which can be selected manually.
With developments like this, fashion and design are increasingly important when appealing to the mass market. It's no longer the early adopters and Silicon Roundabout techie crowd who are interested in wearable technology, it's now a popular Christmas present and there is a growing emphasis on the devices being fashionable and stylish. Apple as a company understands the importance of design, fashion and style when talking to us as consumers - it will be interesting to see how other tech giants play catch up.