Nina Garcia, Creative Director of Marie Claire Magazine and Project Runway Judge
But now there is a new kid on the wearable block. This new breed of designer creates beautiful accessories that also happen to be very smart. They’re putting practicality, wearability, and affordability at the center of their design initiatives and coming up with gorgeously crafted accessories that any fashionista would want to wear—techie or not.
One of these new kids that I have my eye on is Deepa Sood, the founder of Cuff. Her design concept came to her when she was lamenting with her girlfriends about how popular wearables didn’t exactly stack well with the rest of their bracelets. Sood decided something had to be done about it, so she created a line of jewelry that looks like, well, jewelry. The only difference is that every piece in her Cuff collection has an interchangeable module called a “Cufflinc,” which connects to your phone. This module allows you to not only track your fitness, but to contact your inner circle if you need help, and to alert you with a vibration if you have an important phone call—what more could you ask for from a cuff?
Christina Mercando, an ebay alumnae, came up with her design before wearable technology was even a term. She was always missing calls and texts because her phone was buried in her purse. Then, one day, she looked at her cocktail rings and wondered why there couldn’t be technology small enough to fit into those rings so she wouldn’t have to miss a call again. Insert Ringly, the collection of rings made out of 18K gold and semi-precious stones that will alert the wearer of a text, a call, or an email via vibration or a flashing light.
Then you have the handbags that integrate our devices into their designs:
The Everpurse, the handbag line that magically charges your phone, wire-free, was conceptualized in 2011 by Liz Salcedo, a Chicago social worker who was frustrated that her phone would not stay charged all day when she was on the job (who can’t relate to that?). After her Kickstarter campaign raised $238,000 the Everpurse appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and in the pages of The New York Times. It was in demand before it was ever on the market—when they were released in 2013, they sold out that same year.
Sydney Rogers, a 21-year old recent NYU grad came up with the SYRO tote. It comes with the technology that allows you to create graphics that will play on the exterior of the bag, meaning that it is an iPad carrier, stylish tote, and a moving piece of art all in one.
And then there are the hardcore tech brands that are just starting to make their own way in the fashion world, like Withings. Known to be on the forefront of health and wearable technology, Withings just launched Activite, a classic (and very handsome) wristwatch, with technology hiding underneath. The Activité works like many fitness tracking devices; it keeps tabs on your activity levels, your sleep, and contains a silent, vibrating alarm. It just does it all without looking like it, which is the definition of cool.
These new-to-the-fashion world designers have proved that it is possible to create gadgets that are, in fact, stylish and usable. The inspiring part is that four out of five of these brands were founded by intrepid women who were simply thinking of ways to make their own lives easier and more beautiful. And all of the brands did not sit back and wait for someone to create the products they wanted, they went out and did it themselves. As Steve Jobs once said: “Let’s go invent tomorrow instead of worrying about what happened yesterday.” Like these emerging designers have proven, there’s always room at the table for new, innovative ideas. The world is always looking for the next techie trailblazer. Will you be it?
What will you think of next?
What will you create?
How will you inspire the world?
Photo by Jamie Beck & Kevin Burg