The youth culture enjoys dressing up. These occasions usually happen on the weekend when they go out. It involves choosing their nicest outfit, listening to music while getting ready, taking their time to look their best in hopes that when they go out, they will have a thoroughly-enjoyable time. It’s all about fun and enjoyment as well as making friends.
It’s fantastic how the world of events, entertainment, music and fashion all connect, especially in the young consumer’s life.
All steps towards the night seek to create a feeling of play and enjoyment.
Shoko Tamura who spoke at this years Design Indaba aims to bring all those elements into fashion through her Urban Play jacket. It is a functional jacket that still enhances personal experience. This is done through music, light emission and social interaction. The jacket is able to play music and emit different colours of light which allows the consumer to express themselves in a way that automatically creates social interaction between the wearer and those around him or her.
While this form of wearable technology is still emerging the elements that Shoko has included in her design are not foreign to the South African consumer.
Taking all this into consideration, as a South African brand how can you connect the music experience and the attraction to different colour LED lights with what the consumer is wearing?
Perhaps a source of LED lights that can change colour according to the consumers preference, coupled with a song that the consumer chooses can be connected into an experience that involves what they are wearing.
It’s about connecting these sometimes isolated elements that happen in the consumer’s journey to going out, into one experiences that ultimately brings the play element back into fashion which in turn will provide the consumer with a memorable experience at your event or with your brand.
Article by Gabrielle Mixon
TrendER Insights’ Fashion Researcher, Communicator & Trend Analyst
