I would never have thought that a 100-year-old traditional company like L.L.Bean had it in them to ever give blockchain technology a look in. Best known for its outdoor apparel, L.L.Bean, headquartered in Freeport, Maine, has been innovating with the latest technology taking the tech world by storm. Exploring applications of blockchain technology, they are being shown the way our favourite technology company LOOMIA.
LOOMIA is the startup that knows how to add intelligence to everyday objects. If you are not familiar with LOOMIA’s groundbreaking technology, the first thing you should know is that it is mainly centred on the human experience building an economy where consumers and brands are aligned on making better products through analysing consumer-generated data. These innovative data insights are secured through blockchain technology and are governed by the expressive consent of consumers to share their data in a mutually beneficial and seamless exchange.
L.L.Bean Reinventing Customer Experience With The Help Of LOOMIA Electronic Layer
We have written a lot about LOOMIA technology which has been integrated by clients such as Google, The North Face, Zac Posen, and Calvin Klein. Their latest project with L.L.Bean will see them incorporating LOOMIA’s flexible circuitry into their outerwear and boots. Then they will use blockchain to obtain priceless insight that will allow them to use data ( with user consent) to create even better quality products that more accurately aligns with consumer habits. “Working with LOOMIA will enable L.L.Bean to continue it’s 106-year-old mission of utilizing the latest advancements and technologies to design durable, functionally innovative products that help to further folks’ enjoyment of the outdoors,” said Chad Leeder, L.L.Bean’s innovation specialist. Simply put L.L.Bean will be incorporating “smart fabrics” from LOOMIA to solve a fundamental problem in fashion: that once merchandise leaves the store, brands have relatively little data (if any) around how that product is being used.
“The LOOMIA Platform would shift the consumer data paradigm so that individuals, not corporations, own their personal data and profit from it if they choose.”
Bringing blockchain to mainstream consumers, LOOMIA Electronic Layer is a thin layer of circuitry bonded to everyday objects such as clothing, car interiors, handbags, and office furnishing. It brings functionality to everyday objects by collecting data from consumer habits, including frequency of wear, location, level of activity, and temperature. It then stores this information on a hardware component called the LOOMIA Tile. LOOMIA CEO Janett Liriano told FashNerd: “LOOMIA is creating a bridge between digital intelligence and the physical materials that we interact with every day. The LOOMIA Platform would shift the consumer data paradigm so that individuals, not corporations, own their personal data and profit from it if they choose.” Once the data is collected, consumers will be able to share it back with the brand for rewards via the LOOMIA TILE– a component that allows for the secure and anonymous transfer of data.
Other use cases include the incorporation of LOOMIA’s heating elements into L.L.Bean signature products, such as enabling them to warm hikers’ toes or provide an extra layer of warmth on the coldest winter days. These solutions will present some of the first tech-enabled products to conquer the rigid and bulky design typically seen with other heating and sensing applications that have restricted wearable tech from advancing. On the partnership, Liriano said, “L.L.Bean exemplifies quality and focused innovation, centred on functionality and user experience. We are thrilled to be working with this legacy brand as we develop TILE. LOOMIA is committed to delivering meaningful experiences to both brands and buyers and look forward to advancing that cause with L.L.Bean.”
Founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, Muchaneta is currently one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and wearable technology. She has also given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, to name a few. Besides working as a fashion innovation consultant for various fashion companies like LVMH Atelier, Muchaneta has also contributed to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.