10 Wearable Tech Accessories That You Won’t Be Embarrassed To Own

We share with you our top 10 tech pieces that have caught (and held) our attention.

It is no secret that wearable tech has been given a bad rep in the world of fashion. Still seen by some as masculine and ugly, it is taking some convincing when it comes to getting fashion insiders on board. The good news is that the merger of fashion with technology has given birth to some beautiful must-have wearables. Here are our top 10 tech pieces that have caught (and held) our attention.

1.ORE

We recently came across a new collection of extraordinary timepieces made up of rare, precious and extra-terrestrial materials that embody place, time and movement. Bragging aesthetic appeal, the mindful tech collection, by modern jewellery brand Ore, investigates how luxury can be understood and envisaged in a digital context.

Wearables

In the collection, there is a stunning piece called LUCY. It is a hand-made ring fashioned from 18-carat gold, livine crystals etched from Pallasite meteorite, and Vantablack®. Bragging bespoke technology embedded in the ring’s core, the wearable connects LUCY’s custodian with an assigned white dwarf star. The smart jewellery not only lights up when its wearer’s geographic coordinates align with the coordinates of the meteor it tracks, it is also capable of providing an alert when a herd of endangered elephants changes its feeding spot. The smart jewellery piece LUCY launches in early summer 2018.

2. PERIPHERII

There is no denying that female-focused hearable Peripherii is quite impressive. The brainchild of NY-based fashion tech startup Peripherii Inc, the founders designed a hearable that when worn will hover over your ear canal. Working with your smartphone, it eliminates the need for you to take your phone with you.

Fashion Tech

Targeting women who enjoy being connected, the earpiece weighs just 4g each and harnesses the power of voice assistants such as Siri and Google Assistant. Peripherii is also built with a microprocessor, battery, a speaker and a microphone for your voice commands. If you want, then keep your eye out for their crowdfunding campaign, which launches soon and will initially offer the earrings at a discount price of $159, for early bird pre-orders, and priced $295 after that.

3. KATE SPADE

Limited in capabilities, especially when compared to today’s consumer expectations, kate spade wearables have never hidden the fact that they are more about fashion and less about function. Since jumping into the fashion tech space, my favourite piece so far has been 2016 mother of pearl bangle. Mainly because it is so beautiful that you can forgive it for only being able to count steps and track sleep.

Touchscreen Smartwatch
kate spade new york touchscreen smartwatch with a rose gold-tone case with a soft vachetta leather strap. (PRNewsfoto/kate spade new york)

Looking to up their game with new types of wearable devices for 2018, kate spade has launched an all-new touchscreen smartwatch for iPhone and Android. Built upon the existing kate spade new york wearables collection, the touchscreen smartwatch is compatible with both iOS and Android phones and is housed in a rose gold-tone case with a soft vachetta leather strap. A delicate scallop-patterned case surrounds the full-round 1.19-inch AMOLED display that features 390×390 pixel resolution and an ambient light sensor to enhance battery life.

4. SUPA

Taking technology in the fashion industry a step in the right direction, the stylish SUPA Powered Sports Bra and SUPA Powered Strap have been designed with invisible SUPA sensors and a connector for the SUPA Reactor. The SUPA Reactor aggregates all the sensor data together and beams it to the SUPA App and of course the great SUPA cloud in the internet sky. Sporting a classic racerback style, the SUPA Powered Sports Bra has been finished with soft black elastic and has a super fitted cut for support. The backside mirrors the print the front. 95% Polyester 5% Lycra.

SUPA

Founder Sabine Seymour, is a serial entrepreneur who has managed to seamlessly integrate a heart rate sensor that the wearer can attach the SUPA Reactor to the SUPA Powered Sports Bra and connect to the SUPA.AI App. Available on iOS from the App Store, the SUPA.AI app is not an app for app sake, it is a fashion brand and a community, were every member of their SUPA Squad gets first dibs on SUPA Powered gear.

5. VESSI

Not compromising on functionality or style, the fully waterproof knit Vessi Footwear shoe is the opposite of traditional waterproof shoes that tend to be stuffy and make your feet sweat and stink due to their lack of ability to regulate the dispersal of moisture.

Sneaker Tec

A new alternative to heavy and outdated waterproof shoes, the sneaker is made of patented Flash-Knit Technology material that allows for easy cleaning thanks to Vessi’s hydrophobic surface treatment. Based on innovative engineering and design concepts, the waterproof, lightweight, breathable and moisture-wicking shoe is built from our proprietary one-piece circle knitting manufacturing process, which means no seams to allow water to come through.

6. WEATHERMAN

The Weatherman umbrella represents the convergence of technology, engineering and state-of-the-art design. The brainchild of meteorologist Rick Reichmuth, the Weatherman, came about after three years of research, sketching and testing. “I looked everywhere for a solid umbrella that would last. And I came up short every single time. I realised, I know what a good umbrella SHOULD be, so I could just make one. That’s how it all started. My guarantee: Weatherman won’t make anything short of an amazing umbrella,” said the founder. Leveraging his meteorology expertise, Reichmuth has come up with a brolly that can stand up to extreme weather.

Fashion Tech

Committed to delivering the best product and experience the Weatherman is made of fabric woven with Teflon™ to ensure maximum water repellency. It has also been created using industrial-strength fibreglass to prevent inverting and breaking. The wind-tunnel-tested umbrella can withstand gale-force winds up to 55 MPH, and it has Bluetooth technology that will track your umbrella, so you don’t easily lose it.

7. 3D PRINTED JACKET

FashNerd first wrote about Danit Peleg back in 2015. We explored how after 9 months of research and development the designer was able to come up with a 5-piece collection that she 3D printed at home. She did this using FilaFlex filament & Witbox home printers, it took Peleg over 2000 hours to print, working out at about 400 hours per outfit. Now the Tel Aviv, Israel-based fashion designer has launched a made-to-measure 3D Printed jacket that you can purchase online.

3D Printing Danit Peleg
Zero Waste, Made-to-Measure, 3D Printed Bomber Jackets Available To Buy

When it comes to the drive behind lightweight, customizable bomber jacket, it brags zero-waste, the jacket is printed to measure using a special virtual fitting app called Nettelo.  Priced $1,500, Peleg confessed to Fashionista that it was the best price she could come up with given the time and materials required for production. She also added that it takes about 100 hours to print one jacket, so she will only be doing a limited run of 100 jackets.

8. HIDRATE

Hidrate Spark first came to our attention back in 2015, when they launched their Kickstarter campaign on 1 June 2015. By the time it closed on 13 July 2015, they had raised 17 times their original goal of $35,000. Having raised $627,644 from 8,015 backers, gave Hidrate Spark 2.0 water bottle the green light to go ahead and make things happen.

Hidrate Spark

Made from a BPA-free plastic, Hidrate smart water bottle connects to your phone via Bluetooth Low Energy to automatically track your water intake and sync that information to your phone throughout the day. Designed to improve your hydration habits, the bottle is embedded with LED lights that give off an ambient glow to remind you to never forget to drink your water again. The accompanying app recommends a daily goal customized for your personal health and fitness needs!

9. NADI X

Announced in May 2017, Nadi X is Wearable X’s first direct consumer product. Founded by Billie Whitehouse and Ben Moir Wearable X (once known as Wearable Experiments) is a Sydney-born, NYC-based company launched in 2013 with a product centred around touch. Exploring the intersection between technology and fashion, the fashion tech company has built a reputation for successfully merging design and technology in order to create a better quality of life.

Nadi X is an activated yoga pant with sensors built in and around the hips, knees and ankles, and it gives you guided feedback with vibration. The yoga pants are very functional. Specifically designed for yoga, they work with an  app that has three different modes: you can learn yoga for the first time if you’re truly a beginner, you can do a guided experience where you only get help or feedback in the poses that you pre-select inside the app, or if you’re a little bit more professional, you can do the entire flow. You’ll get the feedback in your body where we would like you to focus your attention on that experience. This isn’t necessarily about correct or incorrect yoga, it’s about pants that make you feel good, and feel more connected to yourself.

10. PYRATES

We have previously written about Pyrates, the brand behind Pyratex. They are a fashion startup revolutionising everyday clothing through their intelligent fabrics. The young company’s innovative product brags active fibres embedded in the materials that make the properties wash and iron resistant.

Pyrates

PYRATEX first capsule collection was a merger between their technology and premium organic fabric. Designed to benefit the skin and body, the active components heal, soothe and care for your body. PYRATES’ special technology is not injected nor added, it is embedded in the fabric and thus has no expiration date. PYRATEX fabric is also fully biodegradable and produced in an environmentally friendly manner, using only products and techniques that are harmless for the nature. We think that it is great how PYRATEX fabrics are ideal for underwear, sportswear, loungewear and Activewear.

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Founding Editor in Chief at FashNerd.com | editor@fashnerd.com | Website

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.

SOURCEFeature Image Credit of Foraeva Dress: Conasur.com