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Betabrand’s Silicon Valley Fashion Week: Artificial Intelligence is Now En Vogue

Betabrand Silicon Valley Fashion Week

Photos Credit: Eli Zaturanski/Betabrand

Is this the end of fashion as we know it? Technology has often been used to make fashion more accessible, but could models soon be replaced with flying drones and automatons? Will we soon swap out our Fendi furs for LED fibers? Welcome to Betabrand’s Silicon Valley Fashion Week—a world where runway models are extinct, outfits light up and everyone dresses like they’re attending a Star Trek convention.

Betabrand Silicon Valley Fashion Week

At this week’s three-day, sold-out event in San Francisco, spectators witnessed everything from pants that danced through the air on drones to futuristic cyborgs that blurred the line between humans and A.I. Clothing here catered to the tech-obsessed—from a photobombing jacket (made of reflective light to ruin an unwanted photo) to poop-emoji decorated trainers and separates (the shirts were a sell-out). It was an event geared toward nerdy, tech-savvy millennials and as you can tell, the clothes were a far cry from the haute couture labels of Paris or Milan. Most collections came from start-ups and crowdfunded brands.

Betabrand Silicon Valley Fashion Week

However, fashion is all about pushing boundaries—something which was obvious at Silicon Valley Fashion Week. The mad inventions and spectacles were reminiscent of the famous Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 1999 runway moment where Shalom Harlow stood up on a rotating platform and mechanical robots started to spray paint, “attacking” her dress. We will admit, this Fashion Week was innovative.

Betabrand Silicon Valley Fashion Week

Despite the collection of robots, drones and androids on the scene, there were a few presentations with actual human people (all flesh and bone, no wires here) showcasing otherworldly collections. A standout was a ‘30s-style flapper dress for the future made of long, fiber-lighted strands. As the (human) model sashayed to create a hypnotic, eye-catching effect, people scrambled for their phones, eager to capture the moment.

Betabrand Silicon Valley Fashion Week

Of course all of this leads us to ask: What’s next? Robotic designers? Will Karl Lagerfeld replace Cara Delevingne with the newest, hottest drone on the scene? Will Silicon Valley be set to replace Paris, London, New York and Milan Fashion Week? Probably not any time soon, but one day we might not find this all that weird. Better watch your back, Cara.

Jessica Cooper

J Bibi Cooper is a freelance fashion, beauty & luxury lifestyle editor. As well as constantly running around fashion events, Jessica is a passionate traveler and aims to explore the world. ...(Read More)

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