Silicon Valley Fashion Week 2016 #SVFW - Cheeky Over Chic
Silicon Valley Fashion Week 2016 brings together tech makers and fashion lovers for a fun event that’s not taking itself too seriously. From quirky to awe-inspiring, the opening night featured crazy stunts, as well as creative ideas in wearables, connected materials, and other futuristic clothing. My work has brought me to fashion weeks in New York, London, and Paris, so I thought I knew what I was walking into. I was very, very wrong.
You feel something is different as soon as you walk into the space. Purple lights, loud electronic music combined with a friendly, eclectic crowd wearing shiny, futuristic costumes, or hanging out in plain hoodies. The host, dressed in an improbable green suit, made it clear from the beginning: we were about to see a crazy, eccentric performance, rather than a classic fashion show.
A Smell of Playa Dust
As the first models started walking on the stage, adorned with LED indian coiffes, feathers, tribal patterns, 3D printed hats, and giant fur coats, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Burning Man. If you’ve seen it on the Playa, it has its place at #SVFW. There were even drones on the runway, introduced as if they were models.
Instant customisation
My favourite designer was Alison Lewis. She introduced three pieces of clothing and accessories: a dress that lights up in sync with the wearer’s heartbeat, a t-shirt that displays an image of your choice, and a pouch bag covered with LED lights that showcases various patterns, all controlled from your phone.
When asked what the future of fashion and technology would be, she said: “instant customisation.” I can’t wait for a world where this is true!
Celebrating women
Alison wasn’t the only woman to shine tonight. I was delighted by the diversity of women on stage. All sizes, all shapes, all colors. Lots of garments were designed specifically for us – a highlight being the reveal of the world's first fully-adjustable bra. (which did look very comfortable!)
The show closed with an acrobatic hula-hoop performance – another nod to Burning Man. Tonight was less about fashion, and more about celebrating creativity, technology, diversity, and our collective craziness!
This article was written by WoW Woman Anne-Laure Le Cunff.
Originally from Paris, Anne-Laure moved from London to San Francisco to look after global marketing for Google Fit, a health and fitness tracking app, and brand marketing for Android Wear, an ecosystem of wearables powered by Google’s operating system. In London, she was managing the UK version of Think with Google, offering insights to digital professionals.
Anne-Laure reported from San Francisco for WoW UK Women of Wearables.
Read our interview with Anne-Laure here!