Future Fashion - Top Tech Trends at New York Fashion Week

Designers pushed the limits in fashion tech this year. Some of the biggest brands in the industry utilised social media in new and innovative ways and pushed the boundaries of wearable tech to show their collections to the world, making NYFW 2016 one of the most globally engaging events of the year.

Here are some of our favourite tech trends to hit the runways at one of fashion’s biggest nights:

The Best Use of Social Media

Twitter’s Designer Emojis

Twitter capitalised on the social media frenzy caused annually by New York Fashion Week by introducing fashionable emojis. The official #NYFW hashtag was accompanied by fashion-inspired icons including a dress, high heel, sunglasses or leather jacket – which, just like models on the runway, changed throughout the week.

Tommy Hilfiger Debuts 'Twitter Halo'

Tommy Hilfiger teamed up with Twitter to debut “Twitter Halo”.

This is a multi-camera device that captures 360-degree videos that can be shared in real-time through Twitter, keeping up with the digital shift in the retail landscape.

Avery Baker, chief brand and marketing officer for Tommy Hilfiger, told Forbes: “Our work with Twitter this season builds on our shared pioneering spirit to introduce the ‘Twitter Halo’ during NYFW. As the retail landscape shifts and consumer expectations evolve, we’re focused on sharing our shows and new collections through the most innovative, original and exciting channels, and we look forward to continue building upon our passion for fusing fashion and technology.”

Periscope - #fashionunfiltered

We still can’t decide if Periscope is incredibly smart or incredibly creepy, but in this instance – we give it a thumbs up.

Bloggers and designers like Ralph Lauren gave Periscopers an unedited, real-time look inside look at the chaos that is NYFW.

Tumblr’s Pop-Up Collection

Remember Tumblr? The fashion industry may be single-handedly keeping Tubmlr alive, especially after the clever pop-up collection launch.

Debuted at NYFW, Tumblr chose 10 artists to have their designs printed for a socially-driven ready-to-wear line of t-shirts, jumpsuits, trackie bottoms and more.

Misha Nonoo’s Insta-show

Designer Misha Nonoo ditched the runway for a completely digital platform. Mish Nonoo’s SS16 collection was revealed via Instagram at @mishanono_show.

Posted in tandem with the “insta-show”, actress Meghan Markle, political consultant Audrey Gelman, and principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, Sara Mearns, took to their personal Instagram pages as well, posting photos of themselves in the Misha Nonoo spring/summer collection.

Best Wearable Tech

Chromat’s Tech-Savvy Collection

The architecturally-inspired brand, Chromat – worn by Madonna, FKA Twigs and Beyonce - took wearable tech a step further, combining both fashion and function with the brand’s innovative take on sportswear.

Chromat’s latest collection, debuted at NYFW, featured sportswear, swimwear and accessories – including a sports bra that vents in response to the body’s temperature and sweat.

The Black Coded Dress by Zac Posen

Zac Posen teamed up with Google’s ‘Made With Code’ team for a brand new take on the little black dress at the opening of NYFW. With the goal of inspiring young girls to try computer science, the highlight piece of Posen's collection was “coded” by a group of girls and featured moving patterns of LED lights that moved across the dress.

Intel Unleashes Drones and ‘MemoryMirrors’ on NYC

IMG Fashion Week sponsor and partner for MADE Fashion Week, Intel showed the world why the brand continues to be a leader in tech. Intel unleased its Yuneec Typhoon 4k drones over New York to capture the arrivals at shows including Public School, Prabal Gurung, BCBG Max Azria and Monique Lhuillier.

Intel has also installed MemoryMirrors at fashion week headquarters, which gave users the chance to try on different outfits and then compare them side by side based on the images it has “remembered”.

Michael Kors – “Rush to the Runway”

Innovative? When compared with all the over-the-top applications of tech at 2016’s show, a live stream seems relatively basic.

But Michael Kors is “Rushing to the Runway” and taking the live stream platform to high-fashion standards by adapting the same technology used to broadcat live sporting events. Kors’ show will be streamed using 6K Red Epic Dragon cameras that will allow for a super-high-resolution show and slow-motion shots at 120 frames-per-second on 16th September.

Best New App

Yigal Azrouël Previews Covet Fashion

Yigal Azrouël has teamed up with styling app Covet Fashion to reveal select pieces from his collection. During the reveal on 11th September, Covet Fashion “gamers” were able to style, experiment and create looks from the collection.

App users will also be able purchase select pieces from SS16 collection exclusively through the app after fashion week.

We can't wait to see what will be hot in wearable tech this winter... Possibly self-heating jackets or brolly-sprouting clothing triggered by rain?

What trends in retail are you most excited about?