Chrispy & Aditya's newsletter: It's Fabulous (really)
Hello Denizens of IE!
This is the first of our series of newsletters on how technology is disrupting industry. We hope these give you starting points for research when looking for jobs and make you better prepared when you go back to work.
First up, the most glamorous of all: Fashion
Quiz Time
Which apparel company made the most profit in 2019?
Inditex, LVMH, or Nike?
Answer: at the bottom.
When we think of fashion technology most of us think of smart wearables that adapt to all weather, track your vitals and are a jetpack.
But there is a lot of work happening at every part of the fashion supply chain from design to development. Here are our top trends to look out for:
Personalisation using AI to find clothes you like and is starting to go further to creating clothes for you. True fit and Virtusize remove size unpredictability, CLO helps you visualise clothes to make small changes and Ministry of Supply uses an in store 3D printer to make clothes real-time
Blockchain and it’s applications to validating luxury fashion or proving sustainability is being used by everyone from LVMH to H&M. Provenance is bringing the supply chain to the shopper
Resale and rental startups are picking up traction and are further getting empowered by blockchain ability to accurately identify and track items. Success of Rent the Runway and therealreal are proving these circular business models work
AR/VR are changing the shopping experience Uniqlo Magic Mirrors, Gucci’s ace sneakers and Maggy London AR catalog are some of our favourites
P.S. We’ve heard rumours there is a digital fitting room in Mango’s flagship store on Serrano 60.
Influencer marketing is becoming a major source of distribution as retail stores wind down and new D2C brands opt out of having physical space
B2B behind the scenes services or Retail as a Service platforms like Shopify’s fulfilment services and Microsoft’s store of the future tech are two to look out for.
Streaming Now > Next in Fashion
Looking for something to watch this Sunday? We recommend Next in Fashion where designers compete to get a $250,000 prize from Net-a-porter to start their own line. It's hosted by Tan France from Queer Eye and Alexa Chung
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, Jobs >
Interested in a job in Luxury Fashion? Want the latest news from the Fashion Industry?
You get Business of Fashion Premium Access as an IE Student:
https://www.businessoffashion.com/memberships/packages
Here are a few that we picked out that looked interesting:
Online Learning > Masterclass.com
What if I want to learn more but don’t have time to go to Milan or Paris?
Anna Wintour - the editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988 teaches Creativity and Leadership: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/anna-wintour-teaches-creativity-and-leadership
Diane von Furstenberg - the fashion icon teaches Building a Fashion Brand
https://www.masterclass.com/classes/diane-von-furstenberg-teaches-building-a-fashion-brand
Social Media Buzz >
Interested in Fashion and don't know where to start? Here are some people you can follow on Instagram for inspiration:
1. How to leverage Instagram for your brand: Eva Chen: https://www.instagram.com/evachen212/ who leads fashion at Instagram
2. Where do designers get advice on trends from: WGSN: https://www.instagram.com/wgsn/ who is a trend forecaster
3. Interested in Sustainable Fashion: Fashion Revolution: https://www.instagram.com/fash_rev/ who call for greater transparency in the fashion industry
Now, some help for us
We're doing this because we felt that our classmates could use a broad view on the role technology is playing in their industries whether they're going to startup or going to corporate.
If you find this interesting, let us know, if you think its spam, let us know, If you have any suggestions, let us know. We're looking for feedback on how we can best help you set yourself up for a rocketship career.
If you like it, then please forward it to your friends and get them to fill this form so we can send them the following newsletters as well: https://forms.gle/BEn5rPEbBarSUmYS9
(P.S. If you really liked it we take beer donations at Selfie every Friday)
Your Friendly Robots,
Chrispy & Aditya
Quiz Time > Answers
And the answer is *drumroll please*