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October 3, 2014

Paris Fashion Week: Too Techie, Or Tres Chic?

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Paris Fashion Week came to a close this past Wednesday, marking the final end to the Spring 2015 fashion week season. Throughout PFW, the City of Lights had no shortage of fashion royalty, with notable shows from major designers including Chanel, Givenchy, Valentino, and… Apple?

After the unveiling in early September, Apple Watch made its fashion week debut at Colette, a high-end fashion boutique in Paris, garnering the approval of American Vogue Editor-in Chief and the Front Row Fashion Queen herself, Anna Wintour.

(FYI, where you sit at a fashion show is everything. Refer to last season’s fashion week frenzy when Ms. Wintour sat SECOND ROW at the Valentino show in Paris.)

Apple often uses aesthetics as a selling point, but attribute the design to being functional rather than fashionable: thinner is lighter, bigger is more technology, curved frame is easier to hold.

They clearly put effort into their product design, but the appearance alone hasn’t been a focal point, which I agree with. However, the Apple Watch is different. As they stated at the unveiling, it’s a “wearable computer”, but it’s also a watch. I mean, let’s call a spade a spade.

It’s a watch. A watch is an accessory. Who accessorizes? People who love fashion. It’s not hard to figure out how Apple got to this point, but was it the right approach, and more importantly, was it effective?

Apple definitely got it right with Anna Wintour. If they’re looking for the top influencer in the industry, she’s it. However, other than a collection display at fashion week and pictures with industry moguls, there’s no “wow factor” or call to action directly reaching out to or attracting their target market. What need do these fashion aficionados have for this product? Well, the general consensus in this article on theverge.com “Apple Watch debut in Paris attracts more fanboys than fashionistas,” is, no need at all.A-close-up-of-the-animated-balloon-window-colette-applewatch-750x500-1

I do love the idea of merging fashion and technology, but if Apple wants to continue this cross-industry relationship, it would do them well to pull a fashion industry insider on board from the beginning, instead of just as an after thought.

Apple Senior VP of Design Jony Ive has ways to go before he’s considered a key player in the fashion world, but Apple always seems to have something up their sleeve and if Anna Wintour is also at the forefront, the possibilities could be endless.