The second edition of the Look Forward Fashion Tech festival opened on Wednesday at Paris's Gaîté Lyrique cultural space. The festival, co-organized by the city's local authorities and the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM), aims to help professionals, entrepreneurs and members of the public go beyond the buzzwords and get to grips with new ways of producing, distributing and consuming fashion.
The five-day event offers a rich line-up of round tables and conferences, led by switched-on industry players such as lingerie designer Chantal Thomass and Tag Walk founder Alexandra Van Houtte, with free access and plenty of opportunities for networking and discussion.
At this year's festival, visitors can catch up and weigh in on wide-ranging debates like the 'see now, buy now' movement and its impact on trend cycles, the game-changing role of artificial intelligence or 3D printing in fashion, laser cutting and engraving techniques and how such tech innovations could one day iron out the dilemma of 'mass customization.'
French textile brand Damart will also be revealing its A/W17-18 fashion collabs for its Thermolactyl thermal range.
Also on the program are the Look Forward FashionTech Awards, which will see a jury of experts present prizes to the creative minds behind the most experimental and game-changing fashion, beauty or retail initiatives. Prize winners will benefit from a fast-track mentoring program within the 'Look Forward incubator' at online flash sales retailer Showroomprivé.
Among the projects in the running are fertility-preserving underwear for men made with fibers that provide protection against electromagnetic waves; a mobile device connected to an app that detects skin diseases before they appear; a scanner that can come up with the perfect, comfy heel according to a woman's height and shape of her feet; and a nailbot that lets mani addicts print any picture they have on their phone on their nails.
For a look at all of this year's nominees, follow the Look Forward Fashion Tech Awards blog:
http://www.lookforward-blog.com/?lang=en
The event will also host "Fablab" workshops where you can get crafty and create your own smart fashion item, and 'pitch nights' -- after-dark networking sessions for start-ups.
Meanwhile a thought-provoking fashion exhibition showcases over 30 items of clothing, accessories and jewelry by hybrid artists who combine their fashion expertise with engineering, art and technology, encompassing varying 'schools of thought' in the process.
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