Fashioning Data: A 2015 Update

Chapter 4. Fashion Forward

Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.

Orson Welles

While each of the areas we’ve explored still have room for improvement, their basic advantages and limitations are already known. The companies we spoke with are more or less pushing toward common goals and best practices in those areas. However, there are territories that remain relatively untested—and are therefore quite exciting.

Here, we briefly explore the merging of online and offline shopping, and how that affects data collection. We take a short look at the implications of data collection in wearable tech—truly a merging of fashion with big data. And finally, we make a note about the important privacy implications of these new technologies.

Online Meets Offline

The proliferation of in-store devices that can collect and share data is a topic that could fill its own report—but here we’ll simply mention it and encourage further exploration. As beacons of all types become less and less expensive—and as we start to understand the best ways to use them, they will become more and more widely adopted.

In-store data can go the other way as well: “smart fixtures,” such as interactive tables, connected mannequins, and tablet signage, can push data to a customer in a way that can make product information part of a brand’s story-telling experience.

Many retailers are turning to another hybrid model: temporary pop-up shops. Pop-up shops are a way for online retailers ...