Fashion & Tech: How Two Unlikely Worlds Collided

How technology got a makeover.
Once upon a time, technology was synonymous with all things nerdy, clunky and utilitarian. Computer geeks were not the people you’d go to for fashion advice, nor would you expect them to value aesthetics over function. But oh how times have changed.
Thanks to the late Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, we now think of personal technology as one of the ultimate signifiers of style and taste. Jobs was a man obsessed with aesthetics, so much so that he studied calligraphy at Reed College even after he had officially dropped out. This experience is said to have given him an appreciation of simple, clean lines, which ultimately led to his decision to use a sans serif font on all Apple products, giving the brand its distinct and singular aesthetic. Job’s decision to attend a class he wasn’t enrolled in had an outsized impact on the style of modern tech today that he could have never anticipated.
Fast forward to today, and tech is much more a part of fashion, design and style as it ever was. It’s not enough just to have a functional gadget—we want it to fit into our lives in a way that shows our taste, style and elegance. Part of this is due to the fact that technology is no longer a novelty in our lives; it’s an essential component of our work and personal matters. However, this is also thanks to a competitive marketplace that rewards companies that create products that stand out in both form and function.
This emphasis on aesthetics can be seen in numerous tech trends, including thin, delicate gadgets like the iPad air. Fashion catwalks and style tastemakers are awash with tech, and technology companies are always eager to get those on the fashion scene to endorse or wear their products, as the two spheres are seen as very much overlapping. With the holiday season upon us, now is as good a time as any to showcase some of the exciting fusions of fashion and tech that are currently available on the marketplace.
The Pocket Dial: Giving a touch of old world flair to a new world device, American Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon teamed up with J. Crew to create a leather iPhone case with a fabric clip-on component. Drop your phone upside-down in your front chest-pocket, and all of a sudden you’re rocking a fancy pocket square, which comes in three different fabric prints. Perfectly combining nostalgia for a stylish past with the ubiquity of the iPhone, The Pocket Dial couldn’t be a better example of the fusion of fashion and tech.
Vinaya: Jewelry company Vinaya isn’t really a jewelry company at all. Their ALTRUIS necklace connects to the wearer’s smartphone via Bluetooth and vibrates when certain notifications come through. The idea is to allow the wearer to take their attention off their phone screen and only look at it when an urgent matter requires their attention. An accompanying iOS app allows the wearer to create strict filters across contacts, apps, and even keywords that they want to be notified about. And the style part speaks for itself: the Cleopatra version of the necklace is rose gold plated and features a white ceramic stone.  
Apple Hermes Watch: It’s hard to think of a brand more synonymous with high style than luxury French retailer Hermes, and it should come as no surprise that they’re in on the tech-meets-fashion trend too. The Apple Watch Hermes collection is sure to be at the top of every tastemaker’s wish list, as it maintains all the functionality of the device, with an added aesthetic of luxury.
Charging Wallet: Stylish techies are of course glued to their smartphones, meaning that battery life is a perpetual problem. Enter Michael Kors’ charging wallet, which combines the luxury retailers classic, clean aesthetic with a tech function that anyone living an on-the-go, jet-setter life will find useful.
Will any of these luxury fash-tech items be under your tree on Friday? Let us know what gadgets you’re wishing for this Holidays over on Twitter @VPSNET.