Who's Defining the Future of Fashion
EDITOR'S LETTER
The rapid growth of technology in fashion has has given birth to a whole new talent of individuals like Anina Net, Aniela Hoitink, Billie Whitehouse, Madison Maxey, Brooke Roberts who are the Christopher Bailey, Demna Gvasalia, Olivier Rousteing, Sarah Burton of this innovative industry.
"The smart list is made up of those who are unafraid of going against the grain."
Making their way through an industry notorious for its buzz words, it was their ideas and future trends that caught our attention. They are successfully demystifying technology and encouraging creative partnerships and collaborations. They continue to push boundaries, especially when it comes to the merging of technology with fashion, beauty or retail.
"This list is not the absolute, but it is a sneak peek at the creatives making great strides in this space."
We acknowledge that there are many who's who lists out there, that is why we waited a while before curating our first edition of disruptors, innovators and visionaries defining the future of fashion and technology. Say hello to the 25 whip-smart individuals who you need to have on your radar.
Regards,
-Muchaneta Kapfunde (Editor-in-Chief of FashNerd.com)
THE GRADUATE
Danit Peleg
In 2015 Danit Peleg presented a 3D printing 5-piece collection. It took 9 months of research and development for Peleg to come up with her beautiful 5-piece collection. What made the collection stand out from the rest was that Peleg managed to 3D print all the pieces at home.
THE ALCHEMIST
Lauren Bowker
Ms Bowker made it possible to create a t-shirt that has the ability read the levels of pollution in the water, all we need is cabbage. As one of the founders of The U N S E E N , a material exploration house that blends science into materials, she is someone who sits on the science side of fashion and technology.
THE THINKER
Marina Toeters
Marina Toeters is an educated graphic and fashion designer. Marina finished her Master of Art cum laude at MaHKU Utrecht before gaining a reputation as one of the talents successfully bridging the gap between fashion and technology.
THE VISIONARY
Jasna Rok
From her fashion tech studio in Belgium, Jasna Rok not only explores endless possibilities of technology and science, but she also forces us to rethink clothing, textiles, and the fashion industry as a whole. With a visionary yet pragmatic outlook on the role of fashion tech in our daily lives, she has been successfully implementing the latest research and technology in the field of wearables, sensors, robotics, and electronics.
THE STARTUP
Regina Polanco
Regina is co-founder of PYRATEX. The start up's first capsule collection is a merger between their technology and premium organic fabric. Designed to benefit the skin and body, the active components heal, soothe and care for your body.
THE WISE WEARABLE
Jerry Wilmink
CEO of WiseWear, Jerry launched the Socialite collection made up of The Calder, The Kingston and The Duchess. the jewellery successfully combines elegant design with innovative technology that will keep you confident, safe, and connected. With so much going on at the young company, we think it’s time you get to know WiseWear (if you haven’t already).
THE EARLY ADOPTER
Sylvia Heisel
Sylvia Heisel, is an early adopter of wearable technology. She is not about the trends, but is instead all about the movement of combining sustainability, functionality and wearability.
THE BOUNDARY PUSHER
Behnaz Farahi
Behnaz is known for her 3D printed wearable ‘Caress of the Gaze’ cape. It was a garment that could recognize and respond to the gaze of another person. Created using the Objet Connex500 3D Printer, the interactive 3D-printed wearable demonstrated to us how the very latest and most advanced 3D printing technologies were contributing to the realm of fashion.
THE TRAILBLAZER
Anina Net
Founder of the 360Fashion Network Anina Net has come up with a solution that could inevitably play a role in helping build a bridge between fashion and technology. Her solution is the innovative 360Fash Tech Kit, a kit perfect for designers who want to eradicate the need to code.
THE EDUCATOR
Peter Leferink
Bold and straight talking, Peter Leferink does not mince his words. Driven by determination, he is known in the Netherlands for championing daring pioneers, whose ideas challenge what the fashion industry represents.
THE GROUNDBREAKER
Brooke Roberts
Hackney based fashion designer Brooke Roberts is a fashion designers famous for creating knitwear from machines that use brain scans as patterns.
THE PIONEER
Lisa Lang
Lisa Lang is one of the pioneers helping build the future of fashion and technology. She is a big believer that a fashion designer today needs to be multi-talented. The future should not be about bringing technology and fashion together, it should instead be about designers being well versed in both areas
THE WEARABLE DESIGNER
Billie Whitehouse
Billie Whitehouse co-founder of Wearable X (once known as Wearable Experiments) is a Sydney-born, NYC-based entrepreneur. Her startup company launched in 2013 with a product centered around touch. Exploring the intersection between technology and fashion, the fashion tech company has built a reputation in successfully merging design and technology in order to create a better quality of life.
THE EXPLORER
Jonathan Chippindale
Jonathan Chippindale is Chief Executive and a Co-Founder of Holition. It was formed as a venture start-up, to explore and expand the role that technological innovation can play in communicating with today's new digital consumer.
THE SHOE SCIENTIST
Dolly Singh
With a passion for both science and fashion, Dolly Singh made it her style goal to engineer the perfect foot friendly high heel. For Singh Thesis Couture was about creating the perfect stiletto for women who cannot imagine being parted from their extra inches.
THE LUXURY WHISPERER
Rana Nakhal Solset
Rana Nakhal Solset, founder of Emel + Aris has been bridging the gap between fashion and function since 2015. She launched life-enhancing ‘wearable technology’ brand that introduced the fashion industry to a beautiful smart cashmere coat.
THE HAUTE TECHNOLOGIST
Birce Ozkan
Designer Birce Ozkan wowed many people with her Augmented Jacket. Inspired by nature and biomimicry, the jacket brags built-in technology that turns the stylish garment into a navigational instrument.
THE MAKER
Maddy Maxey
Listed as year Forbes 30 Under 30, Madison Maxey is in high demand. Demonstrating leadership and a strong belief in her vision, Maxey quickly found her niche, inventing fabrics that conduct electricity in a patterned way that enables the fabric to fuse together without the need for a sewing machine.
THE FASHION INNOVATOR
Pauline van Dongen
Renowned fashion designer Pauline van Dongen is famous for introducing the Solar Shirt. It was a garment that successfully brought high tech and high-street fashion together.
THE COLLABORATOR
Matthew Drinkwater
Named as one of the 100 most influential in the world of Wearable Technology, Drinkwater is the man at the forefront, creating groundbreaking brand collaborations that deliver the latest tech innovations across fashion, retail, lifestyle, cultural and digital industries.
THE ADVISOR
Ishwari Thopte
If you are a designer exploring the technology space, Ishwari Thopte is someone you might want in your corner. A Fashion Tech Project Officer for the CENTRE FOR FASHION ENTERPRISE (CFE), she can play a key role in helping a fashion tech business execute their USP and vision.
THE ORGANISER
Anita Tilman
Anita Tilman is making things happen. Addicted to fashion and technology she is the founder of #FASHIONTECH Berlin, an event that is all about innovation, know-how and exchange of ideas.
THE BIO SCIENTIST
Aniela Hoitink
Aniela is easily described as a creative designer, a brilliant scientist and a driven engineer. She might not invent innovations, but she understands better than anyone how to put them to use and bring them to life.
THE MATERIAL DESIGNER
Amy Winters
Amy has worked in the smart textiles industry on research and development projects collaborating with scientists to create new fabrics for the fashion industry. She has won numerous awards and grants for her work and has been recognised by the likes of Channel 4, HSBC, Science Museum London, Science Gallery Dublin, TSB, CSM Innovation Centre & shortlisted for the Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award 2012.
THE EXPERIMENTER
Anouk Wipprecht
Fashion Tech designer Anouk Wipprecht is a roller-coaster ride for tech lovers. The Dutch-born designer has been living in the United States since 2009 and is famous for her Spider Dress, Smoke Dress and her new Synapse research for a dress that responds to brain activity. She travels the world to speak at events, curate exhibitions and collaborate with companies like Intel , Audi , Microsoft , Google, Materialise and even Lego.
