Panel: “Solving Real World Problems with Innovation & Technology”
Ali Clare | Founder and Director of Re:Coded
Maximilian Schuetz | Co-Founder of KISI
Jason DaSilva | Founder of AXS Map
Sona Shah | Co-Founder & CEO of Neopenda
Moderator: Jessica Graves, Head of Research at Sefleuria
Invited to speak on machine learning and fashion for the Small Data podcast at Salt.io
“Fashion needs ‘datafication’ that clearly benefits fashion.” – Jessica Graves
On fashion & data science. Front page of Dataconomy, July 2016.
Everyone on the planet has some kind of relationship with dress, which extends beyond apparel alone. Fashion is one of a few non-lingual forms of communication that is participated in on a massive scale, with very little ability to opt out. Fashion has a place for our oldest hand traditions and our newest biochemical innovations.
In our last retail post, we explained how emerging sensor technologies are changing data science for brick and mortar. Many companies are working to retro-fit physical stores with capabilities originally developed for ecommerce. Without adding any new sensors or tags, image recognition company Blippar provides APIs that digitize physical products to create an in-app experience around them. Farfetch, which initially brought an exclusive network of luxury brick & mortar shops online, recently announced that it will soon provide in-store analytics.
In parallel, digital companies continue to seek out physical spaces to augment their customer experience. Warby Parker and Rent the Runway have physical stores, and Gilt and Etsy are exploring new models to engage consumers offline (Gilt has a private retail space in their corporate headquarters and Etsy launched an app to inform shoppers of sellers’ nearby products). These digital companies were built upon testing every detail affecting their website performance. As tracking migrates to physical retail, it’s important that retailers consider the consumer experience risks associated with new technologies as they explore the benefits.
“When you look at something on the web, you get ads that pop up and follow you around - companies like that have much better advantage over brick-and-mortar retailers, and so they’re under more pressure to equalise the playing field.” Kevin Kearns, ShopperTrak
Whitepaper produced for FFL
“I: Are there any emerging trends in data science that you and others at Fast Forward Labs have noticed? What are they?
J: Deep learning is a big one. For example in fashion, one of the holy grails of ecommerce is to allow customers to search for items by uploading an amateur photo of something they’re interested in. It’s hard to automate this kind of image processing without neural networks, and there have been interesting papers and startups springing up around this.”
This is the first of two articles about recent developments in fashion technology. Part two will focus on implications for consumer privacy.
The next frontier for recommender systems is the retail store. We’re used to associating machine learning with ecommerce giants like Gilt and Lyst, but can data science transform physical stores like Rebecca Minkoff and Zara? The impact would be significant, as more than 90% of retail sales still occur in brick-and-mortar stores, which could use data to redefine in-store personalization.
The introduction of data collection in the retail space does not always require new tools; rather, retailers can gather granular data on customers and products by repurposing existing hardware like security cameras and clothing sensors in new ways. Developments in machine learning have made it possible to auto-process existing video feeds to track customers, from simple movement analytics to full body profiles. Smart mirrors, security cameras (CCTV) and radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensors which create rich datasets that make automated personalization in bricks & mortar scalable.
Whitepaper produced for FFL
At the ZAC Zac Posen #SS16 show wearing a dress that was coded by some very smart little girls. #DressedInCode #Google #MadeWithCode
Collab production with Zac Posen × Google Made with Code × The Crated
J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens features a host of strong, dynamic, gorgeous actresses, all of whom bring serious style cred to the film’s world tour. We’re weeks out from the hugely anticipated premiere, but already they’re lighting up red carpets across the world.
In Lupita Nyong’o’s case, quite literally. The thirty-two-year-old actress wore an LED dress by Zac Posen x Made With Code to the “Force 4 Fashion” party in New York on Wednesday night, after appearing on The Daily Show in the same look, casting flickering lights wherever she walked. Before now, she’s favored bright colors, unlike her co-star Daisy Ridley. The newcomer’s stuck to a neutral palette as she gears up for unprecedented fame.
Frankly, we can’t wait for Gwendoline Christie to join the fray and bring some British edge to the proceedings.
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Lupita Nyong’o on Zac Posen’s Made With Code dress at the Force 4 Fashion party in New York City.
The designer collaborated with Google’s Made With Code program on this LED dress, which he showed during Fashion Week in September.
Photo: Getty Images
Production & code collab with Zac Posen × Google Made With Code × The Crated
A few months ago I had a photo shoot for Dark Beauty Magazine with Icon Amanda Lepore, who has been seen in many of David Lachapelle’s photos for the last 15-20 years. That’s where I first saw her, in one of his books.
It was such an honor to be able to meet Amanda and get the opportunity to work with her, after seeing her through David’s work, who has been one of my biggest influences in photography.
What a blessing and full circle to have this experience, and on top of it, she invited me to her show this week in Hollywood to introduce me to David LaChapelle himself. This is just another beautiful example of the power of manifestation, following your dreams and staying focused on your path with patience.
Please enjoy these pictures, but I really hope you will read the article and interview with Amanda, as it tells a heartfelt story of her personal journey as a transgender woman, and also my experience in New York, spending time with her in the nightlife of NYC.
Written by Maria Teresa Chavez
I hope this inspires you.
Love,
Sequoia
Shot for Dark Beauty Magazine
Model: Amanda Lepore
Hair by: Lorenzo Diaz Hair
Make-up by: Esteban David
Styling by: Leonid Gurevich
Photography by Sequoia Emmanuelle PhotographySpecial thanks to Nick Lion, Glen Brown and Club Icon in Astoria for the shoot location
Hyperboloid dress in Dark Beauty Magazine on Amanda Lepore.
