Decoded Fashion! ~The New Relationship Between Fashion and Technology~ (Part 2)

The Decoded Fashion Tokyo Summit 2015, an event where leaders from the fashion and IT industries gathered to collectively envision the future of fashion, was held for the first time in Tokyo this July.
Advances in digital technology are expected to bring fundamental changes to the fashion industry across all phases—from business transformation and process efficiency to new customer acquisition, material development, and expression. This time, we invited Megumi Wakabayashi, Editor-in-Chief of WIRED magazine (Condé Nast Japan); Tatsuya Kitagawa, who is tackling new business development at Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings; and Kaie Murakami, who leads SIMONE, a branding agency specializing in the fashion and beauty sectors. Yoshihiko Kyoi of Dentsu Inc. asked them about the future of "Fashion x Technology." Here is the second part.

 

Is there a "sacred domain" in fashion

Is there a "sacred domain" in fashion?

 

Kyōi: In the context of this discussion, it might seem very superficial, but Decoded Fashion also covered how technology influences product development—like using high-tech materials and 3D printers for clothing. Is Japan lagging behind in this area too?

Murakami: We're not behind, but the problem lies in presentation.
Japan is arguably world-leading in developing synthetic fibers and such. However, there's too great a disconnect between the people handling the enabling technology and the fashion sensibility. What people seek in fashion isn't just the garment itself.

In other words, the fashion sense everyone desires isn't about something like easily changing patterns with the push of a button. I think we should focus more on the psychology of the wearer. That aspect can change in countless ways through a deeper understanding of fashion.
For that reason, wouldn't it be effective for technology and fashion people to work together?

Kitagawa: Department stores like ours might be the ideal point of collaboration. We must be careful not to create things based solely on technology, on theoretical concepts that we ourselves wouldn't even use. Unless we return to the core question of what people truly seek in fashion, we cannot select the technology that is genuinely needed.

Wakabayashi: The future will likely arrive in ways we haven't imagined. That's where the excitement lies. Listening to the Decoded Fashion presentation, I realized everyone was talking about digitizing the social aspects, but no one was addressing the crucial digitization of design itself.

When I interviewed a brand about their digital strategy this past May, I asked, "Aren't you digitizing design?" They simply replied, "Well, we can't do that." That's when I realized: Ah, so that's the sacred cow they won't touch. Same thing this time. Music changed its notation format with digital, and publishing changed its format around printing.

So what is that equivalent in fashion? Pattern files? Couldn't that be digitized? If an apparel manufacturer has 20 years of history, they should digitize all 20 years' worth of pattern files. They collect customers' physical data, but if the matching system isn't digital, it's meaningless. Isn't that actually the crux of it?

Murakami: If we delve deeper into that topic... (laughs). No, seriously, that's the next full cycle in fashion.

Kitagawa: That's right. To stay within reasonable bounds, consider Nike providing customized shoes for athletes. It's all about measuring feet and developing materials that perfectly match their shape. That's purely a technical challenge. Sports manufacturers are relentlessly accumulating this data through customized product development. Future clothing will be half fashion, half wearable. The advantage of holding that data is obvious, right?

Murakami: It's definitely heading toward wearables. You can already see that trajectory from Toray developing wearable textiles. Things that sound wildly out there to the general public are steadily becoming reality.

Kitagawa: The untouched territory holds tremendous potential. Companies that hold even a hypothetical vision of this will absolutely have different mid-to-long-term plans than those that don't. No matter how outlandish the idea, can you digest it all at least once, rather than dismissing it as irrelevant?
Without that mindset, I don't think you can even create a mid-to-long-term plan.

 

How technology will transform the in-store experience

How will technology transform

 

Kyoi: The venue also showcased digital fitting mirrors. These let you view automatically recorded footage of your back view and simulate color variations of clothing on the mirror without changing clothes.

Kitagawa: Customers can experience this immediately in-store and get a sense of the future. The exhibition booth also featured systems that guide customers to the location of desired items within the store using an iPhone, as well as robot customer service demonstrations.
Digital technology will likely transform the in-store experience most visibly.

Murakami: The storefront is a crucial yet challenging area. Mitsukoshi Isetan's strength lies in its world-leading sales per square foot. Can technology replace the customer service skills that drive those sales? It's both a worthwhile challenge and an extremely difficult one.

Kitagawa: You're absolutely right. I believe the key is to try and learn from failure. Replacing the value of analog with digital is impossible at this point. However, I think it can be complemented.

But we still don't know exactly what can be supplemented or how. You'll never find the answer just by thinking about it at your desk. I believe those who accumulate experience and find the answers will win. We must fight this paradox: maintaining the stores that are generating revenue right now while also pursuing new initiatives.

Kyoi: Hearing everyone today, I realized advertising agencies haven't invested in fashion at all until now. Fashion is a communication tool, so we can't afford to be indifferent to its fundamental insights.

Wakabayashi: Someone once said the future of ad agencies might see "advertising" disappear, leaving only the "agency" behind. What we've cultivated so far will endure, but it might not manifest as advertising output. Publishing and fashion are the same. What value do we fundamentally embody? That kind of thinking will be essential everywhere going forward.

Kitagawa: When you hear "department store," it carries an image of an old-fashioned industry, a declining sector. But if you say, "We're a real-world content provider," suddenly it looks different. I feel the choice of words is incredibly important.

Dentsu Inc. is precisely the kind of company that has excelled in this area. Recently, we've been seriously considering whether there's a better term than "retail" or "distribution" to express our future value. We're actively seeking suggestions, so please send them our way.

 

You can also read the interview here on AdTie!

Planning & Production: Dentsu Inc. Event & Space Design Bureau, Aki Kanahara