Following the success of the inaugural Future of Fashion Incubator last year, Microsoft joined forces with London College Fashion, UAL to explore how emerging technology is inspiring new possibilities for fashion design, advertising, and retail.
With this year’s initiative, Microsoft and LCF launched an even more ambitious challenge for future leaders to develop businesses powered by Microsoft’s most cutting-edge technologies.
Each project in Accelerating the Future of Fashion poses an enterprising new solution for the fashion industry through the inventive application of Microsoft technologies.
From creating responsive activewear that pairs the Microsoft HoloLens with wearable sensor technology to aid athlete rehabilitation, to zero-waste pattern-making that applies Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services to eliminate waste in clothing production, the students at London College of Fashion, UAL, are once again redesigning a more functional fashion industry of tomorrow.
By building scalable ideas across artificial intelligence, mixed reality, and the Internet of Things, Microsoft and London College of Fashion will showcase a road map towards truly digital fashion and retail businesses.
Matthew Drinkwater, Head of Fashion Innovation Agency, London College of Fashion, UAL
Explore the student projects
Taking the environmental impact of garment creation as a challenge, Art-Z is using Machine Learning to reduce waste generated during pattern-cutting.
Art-Z aims to use AI and machine learning to analyze a designer’s patterns and assesses them for how much waste or offcut material would be generated from the existing pattern design. From this, the software suggests a new pattern based on the original, which has far less wastage, with the eventual goal of developing a “zero waste” pattern.
Founded by Ashwini Suhas Deshpande, BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development
Brick & Pixel is rethinking the shopping experience with responsive smart fitting rooms that personalize the consumer journey.
Brick & Pixel employs smart mirrors, RFID tags, and Microsoft Kinect technology to create an interactive fitting room that reveals the product and brand's story while elevating the retail environment.
Founded by Abdul Haseeb Azizi, MA Strategic Fashion Marketing, Noelia Fernández Galiana, MA Strategic Fashion Marketing, and Julia Karolina Frey, MA Strategic Fashion Marketing
Motivated by inefficiencies in fashion design, E.M.I. is a mixed reality collaborative platform that invites consumers to participate in the creative process.
E.M.I uses mixed reality design with the Microsoft HoloLens headset to enable the user to help create a virtual garment on a real mannequin by using gesture control. The result is a collaboration between consumer and designer.
Founded by Andrew La Casse, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear
Seeking to present an ephemeral product, Perfume Experiential Discovery is a full sensory immersion in custom fragrances.
This project uses the HoloLens in conjunction with smart sensor technology to help customers experience a fragrance, engaging their curiosity—and inspiring a potential purchase. It can be used as a tool to help customers pick ingredients and create a unique product in an entertaining, interactive, and informative way.
Founded by Costas Kazantzis, MA Fashion Media Production and Eirini Batakis, MSc Strategic Fashion Management
By harnessing Microsoft HoloLens and Kinect, Rixlea turns responsive activewear into a powerful tool for athlete recovery and rehabilitation.
Rixlea uses wearable sensors to gather movement data from the user, providing information about the position of their limbs that then allows a “ghost limb” to be overlaid on their field of vision that moves in a realistic way. As users mimic these motions, the simple and intuitive interface helps them complete a series of rehabilitation exercises.
Founded by Rielle Park, MSc Strategic Fashion Management and Leah Hoy, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology
Motivated by the noise in the advertising space, SWAPP uses artificial intelligence to put consumers at the heart of fashion ads and content.
SWAPP adapts “DeepFake” technology to realistically swap users' faces into ad campaigns. The content takes the form of short films, advertisements, and gifs, and is tailored to a brand’s particular style and message.
Founded by Helen Wang, MSc Strategic Fashion Management and Joanna Lanceley, MSc Strategic Fashion Management
In design, technology is something that changes the framework of what you believe is possible.
Ashwini Suhas Deshpande, BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development
The program culminates this year with one student group being given the opportunity to refine their project with guidance from Microsoft specialists.
Art-Z founder Ashwini Suhas Dashpande will travel to the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA to learn more about the research and development process, and gain insights into evolving her idea into a feasible business concept.
