Third Wave Fashion // MARCH 2014 // THE FIT TECH ISSUE | Page 21

THE FASHION TECH REPORT

FITTECH

FITTECH:

IN FASHION & HERE TO STAY

WRITTEN BY: JEFF WILBER
A c o n t r i b u t i n g w r i te r fo r T W F
a n d t h e fo u n d e r o f T h e
Fre e l a n c e R i d e r, a b l o g
fo c u s e d o n u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e
va l u e i n s to r i e s f ro m fa s h i o n
te c h to p o l i t i c a l c o m m e n t a r y.

T

he debate on what constitutes
fashion is ongoing. It’s clothing, it’s
design, it’s actually art and nothing
more than an outward expression of
self that can be worn every day. Other
arguments are darker, pointing fingers
at a naturally exploitative industry
that’s more than willing to do what it
takes to get ahead. But that’s just
business. Right?
In a sense yes, but I’m not going to talk
about the treatment of models, the
habits of designers or the functions of

the industry. No, what I’ve noticed
above all of these issues is that, as a
business, fashion resembles more of a
monopoly than anything else.
at’s not to say that any of the other
issues aren’t important, but in the
grander scheme of things, this multibillion dollar industry is all about
making money, which every one of us
keeps alive. Don’t believe me? Try this
quick test:

LOOK DOWN

If you’ve got pants or a shirt on, then
you’ve bought into it, whether you
wanted to or not.
With that in mind, it isn’t difficult to
see how the monopoly that fashion as
an industry is building, and fittech, our
focus in this story, is included in that
all-inclusive market grab. ere is
speculation that the tech like life
trackers and smart watches are
ultimately just a fad, but it’s a naive
approach to the future of both fashion
and fit.
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