Apparel Online India Magazine October 1st Issue 2018 | Page 13

RETAIL CURRENT
AR & VR technology now available at Macy's stores
American department store chain
Macy’s has started to offer Virtual
Reality (VR) and Augmented
Reality (AR) technologies in
its stores for home décor and
beauty products. The retailer has
announced that by early November,
69 outlets across the country will
be offering VR facilities to allow
shoppers to select furniture layout
in a simulated version of their
homes. The US-based retailer has
launched Visualise Your Space on
Macy’s app, which allows the users
to virtually place Macy’s furniture
into photos of their homes, to
check how the pieces fit with their
present interiors. However, the
app is available at present for iOS
devices only and will be there for
Android versions by next year.
Hal Lawton, President, Macy’s
said, “Macy’s is working on
offering its customers with new
experiences, and we are always
looking for new ways to attract
more customers in the store,
online and via our mobile app
and offer them a better in-shop
experience.” The President of the
company further marked out that
the technology enhancements
are practical applications which
are expected not just to boost the
footfall within the stores but also
accelerate the sales. Reportedly,
the brand has also collaborated
with Facebook, to bring in around
150 e-commerce brands to a
physical shopping space, which
will be called; The Market @
Macy’s. This marketplace will be
launched in nine selected outlets
this holiday season and will allow
customers to browse e-commerce-
based brands in person.
Brandon Wen bags ‘Challenge the Fabric Award'
at London Fashion Week
The first ever ‘Challenge the Fabric
Award’ at the London Fashion
Week Spring 2019 was bagged by
the menswear designer Brandon
Wen along with a handsome
prize money of 30,000 euros. This
award is an initiative of the paper
and packaging company, Ekman
& Co., along with the Swedish
Fashion Council. The aim of the
award is to encourage the use of
sustainable alternatives among
emerging fashion designers and
create awareness about informed
fabric choices. The brief given to
the competitors was exploration
of the versatility of viscose and
presentation of selected pieces
from their brand line-ups as well
as new designs and garments
made using the eco-friendly
viscose fabric. The Swedish
Fashion Council commented on the
success of the event by saying that
they plan to continue with the CTF
The Swedish Fashion
Council commented on
the success of the event
by saying that they plan
to continue with the
CTF awards every year
to encourage the notion
of sustainability in the
industry.
awards every year to encourage
the notion of sustainability in
the industry.
Using his grandmother’s Spanish
roots as inspiration, Wen said
that his collection was an attempt
to re-create the atmosphere of
Spanish tradition in California.
Thus, with the use of Spanish
ceramics and garments as
references and well researched
exploration of a traditional
costume from Burkina Faso,
the final line-up, in Wen’s words
was “a celebration of summer,
heritage and life, which I think
is what my grandmother Carmen
is all about.” He used the viscose
till ‘its limits’ as he braided,
cut and ‘destroyed’ the viscose
while using all-natural dyes
including vinegar. “It was
practically cooking! One of the
other things I worked on was
using all of the scraps leftover
from cutting to create shoulder
pads and reinforcement.”
www.apparelresources.com | OCTOBER 1-15, 2018 | Apparel Online India
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