Viral Style: High-Tech UK Fashion Week And Extreme World Cup Style

This week saw the latest edition of LondonCollections: Men, the UK capital’s answer to menswear fashion week. On the catwalks, a whole heap of homegrown and international labels showed off their S/S15 collections, including a number of fresh wearable tech innovations. Next stop, Milan!

First up, British brand A. Sauvage presented a range that explored the boundaries between formal and casual style, as seen with pieces like colour pop blazers, graphic placement sweats and printed layers worn over smart shirts. However, the highlight had to be a unique pair of chinos created in collaboration with Microsoft, which are able to wirelessly charge the wearer’s mobile phone. A world first, these trousers contain a wireless Nokia charging plate in one of the front pockets, using inductive charging to transmit energy to a phone battery through an electromagnetic field.

Next up, Ada + Nik. (another British brand headed by Ada Zanditon and Nik Thakkar). Their S/S15 collection tempered their trademark ‘dark matter’ aesthetic with smart fabrics. Additionally, working alongside NJOY Premium E-Cigarettes, a sharp leather smoking jacket was crafted with a built-in pocket designed to hold e-cigarettes, complete with a functional dual shape and an ‘N’ outline on the back yolk and in the seams. According to Thakkar, the piece was created with a “21st century James Dean” in mind.

Finally, Lutwyche presented an uber-smart range comprised of fresh takes on classic English tailoring (probs out of your price range, bro).  In amongst the designs, a silk trench fused a bold yellow colour with practical waterproof capabilities – this function was achieved through the use of nano technology.

Footbaaaaalllllll! Yep, away from the runways, World Cup fever is still going good and strong across the globe (although I’ve successfully managed to avoid seeing a single match yet). If you’re looking for a cool way to display your team colors with pride, NY-based brand Nowhere F.C. are offering a new bespoke service where you can customise jerseys to suit your taste. Teaming up with apparel tech label Avery Dennison, dress up your design with everything from club logos to emoji-style symbols – these are the same graphic heat transfer images that were also used at Astrid Andersen’s show at LCM this week. You’ll have to hurry to get your hand on one of these unique styles though – the service won’t be available come the end of the World Cup.

In other sportswear news, Nike have kitted out the Team USA World Cup team in an innovative style of jersey that is able to adapt itself to the climate of its surroundings. Based around the idea that football players run around for about 90 minutes per game (which can lead to their bodies overheating, especially in hot countries like Brazil), these lightweight, breathable uniforms were designed using simulated climb chambers, collecting data to create a heat map of the wearer. Laser-cut ventilation allows for increased airflow, while polyester weave fabrics were woven out of recycled plastic bottles to help keep the player cool while high-fiving the environment at the same time.

Created by Xuedi Chen for her ITP NYU Thesis 2014, x.pose is a wearable sculpture made using 3D printing technology, inspired by the concept of how much people reveal about themselves on the Internet. We covered it last week, but wanted to bring it to your attention again—because damn, this one is cool.

IRL we control how much of our body is on show with our clothes, but Xuedi believes that we are much more “naked and vulnerable” online as a result of our disclosing personal and private details. In the piece, 3D-printed mesh frames Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) that can change opacity to reveal the wearer’s skin. Linked via Bluetooth to a smartphone, the design works as a real-time reflection of the online data she is sharing.

What other fashion and tech fusions did we miss this week? Share with us below in the comments section!