Image | Ashwin Vaswani on Unsplash
How is technology redesigning the future of the fashion industry?
With shifts in the global landscape accelerating digital transformation, fashion's early adopters are challenging what is possible with the integration of technology into the way they envisage, engage, design and deliver. While traditional engagement strategies have focused on e-commerce and digital marketing solutions, the fashion visionaries of today are re-imagining the vision of tomorrow.
Engaging with consumers in new ways, the new frontier of fashion is defined by the symmetry of a digitally enabled landscape that is global while also being more personal and meaningful. As the digital agenda continues to evolve, inspiration has come both from within fashion and from industries that have surprised.
Together with technological advancement, the current global environment has presented the greatest opportunity to shift mindsets and behaviours of both the industry and consumers. Virtual worlds are now open to all and are not constrained by traditional limitations of logistics, geography and accessibility.
Moderated by business transformation expert & digital authority Alice Sidhu, the panel will feature Marcus Milne (Founder & CEO of Punk Office), Michaela Wessels (CEO of Style Arcade) and Rob Fisher (Co-Founder of Bodd).
The AFC are a proud participant in the Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Independent Program: Ideas 2021. Find out more at mff.com.au.
THE PANEL
MARCUS MILNE, PUNK OFFICE | Marcus is the Founder and CEO of Punk Office which specialises in interactive 3D digital media. After many years experimenting extensively with 3D scanning, Marcus created incredibly realistic human avatars for use in virtual 3D clothing stores and 3D multiplayer worlds. Reflecting his experience in the fashion world spanning runways to campaigns, Marcus' technology has focused on delivering a level of natural realism for both models and garments. Human facial expressions for adaptive avatars and the ability to virtually convey the drape and movement of cloth have all become possible. Moving against trends, Marcus focused on optimising these high-definition experiences to run on mobile devices and mid-range computers. Consumers can continue using the devices they are comfortable with to view this ultra-realistic content thus giving them more confidence when making purchases. Marcus works with local and international individuals and brands to transpose real world expression into AR, VR and 3D web based experiences. Marcus has also been a vocalist and guitarist in a number of bands and worked as a professional dancer.
MICHAELA WESSELS, STYLE ARCADE | Michaela has 15+ years of global fashion retail expertise, focused in the field of Merchandise Buying & Planning. Passionate about growing fashion brands with her focus on how their product range can be their largest growth lever when planned and executed with data-driven precision. She is CEO at Style Arcade, an analytics & range planning software utilised by some of Australia and New Zealand’s most well known brands, such as The Iconic, Surfstich, MJ Bale & PE Nation.
ROB FISHER, BODD | Rob is an experienced start-up founder and company Director with a demonstrated history of working in the technology and retail industry. Rob has an extensive background in Sales, Digital Strategy, Account Management and Capital Raising. Rob has co-founded various businesses, including Tec.Fit, one of AFR's most innovative companies in 2019 (now known as Bodd) where he oversees the execution of business wide strategies and operations. Rob has a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) majoring in Finance & Management from Monash University, Melbourne.
ALICE SIDHU (MODERATOR) | Alice Sidhu is a business transformation expert, digital authority and board member, with extensive experience working with organisations to improve their operations, drive their innovation agenda, and find new ways to grow. Having held senior global roles in many multinational organisations has given Alice a unique insight into how organisational ecosystems operate and how they need to evolve for what’s coming. She can demystify what it means to be digital, the possibilities of AI, and why Blockchain is a lot more than Bitcoin, explaining in simple business terms what it can do, and why you should care about it. Alice is a director of LIVLAB, a start up defining a new generation of health, an Associate with Melbourne Business School, an advisor to a venture capital company and a mentor for Moonshot. She is passionate about solving big problems and the potential of technology to make the impossible a reality.
