Luo Songsong

    songsongluo@126.com

    WALKING through Hall 9 at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, you will no longer feel reluctant to try on some wearable technology (also known as “wearables”) because they are now a favorite of the fashion industry.

    “A successful wearable product has to be either extremely fashionable, evoking passion so wearers will display it proudly, or has to be invisible, seamless, passive and not requiring interaction,” said Sridhar Iyengar, founder of Misfit, a pioneer in the emerging world of wearable healthcare products.

    Wearables are competing with traditional accessories such as designer watches, jewelry and bracelets. Designers can’t only focus on the products themselves but have to find out why and how people will use them.

    Misfit Shine is a physical activity monitor in elegant colors that a person can wear almost anywhere on the body with a strap or a clip — the neck, the wrist, the chest or a shirt. “You can take it out, show it off, put it on your wrist or hide it in your pocket,” said Iyengar.

    Thus, understanding the psychology of consumers seems more important than the aspects of engineering and technology. To appeal to more young folks, price and style are two major considerations.

    Wearables have already penetrated the clothing industry.

    “We have just launched a partnership with Victoria’s Secret. They wanted pink products because pink is the color of their passion, and we realized that something as simple as a different color can have a tremendous value for different people,” said Iyengar.

    Not long ago, the fancy lingerie brand unveiled its first smart sports bra which sells for around US$75 with built-in electrodes that hook up to a heart rate monitor.

    “We have been approached by and are in discussions with many fashion brands,” said Antti Pihlakoski, the chairperson of technology infused clothing company Myontec. The Finnish company is raising funds on Kickstarter for smart clothing called Mshorts that can monitor a user’s muscle activity and status.

    The emerging industry is never short of followers. At the second China (Shenzhen) International Industrial Design Fair, Taiwan-based company Senseye unveiled Reed, its first smart glasses, which was designed by Italian designer Stefano Giovannoni. With higher pixels, bright colors and a lower price than Google Glass, the glasses will be on the market early next year.

    The wave of wearable technology will not pass China by.

    Misfit is planning on opening an office in Shenzhen, and a research team for Reed will also be based in Shenzhen. “The design industry in China is changing more quickly than elsewhere in the world, and we have to be physically here,” said Iyengar.