Google, H&M partner to design you a dress based on your daily habits
VIDEO: Google and H&M Ivyrevel just brought couture into the digital age
Finding the perfect top or dress for a night out often results in a mad dash to the shops and may or may not result in a purchase, but if Google has its way, your mobile device could undertake the quest for you.
On Monday at New York City's Fashion Week, as reported by Digital Trends, Google announced a partnership with H&M's online Swedish fashion house Ivyrevel.
The partnership aims to "bring couture into the digital age" by utilizing our data to create items such as the "Data_Dress," a custom design born out of our online habits, activities, and history.
The project, dubbed "Coded Couture," requires wearers to download an Android app which catalogs their activities in order to learn about user habits. The information gathered is then used to design garments.
In a press release (.PDF), the companies said the Data_Dress app will collect data over the course of a week to create the personalized garment, recording elements of your lifestyle such as where you go, where and when do you hang out and what activities you enjoy doing.
The application takes advantage of Google's Snapshot API, which passively collects information including weather conditions, location, and activities such as walking or driving.
As more information is collected, users can see their garments take shape.
"It's such an exiting moment. We're about to change the fashion industry by bringing the customer's personality into the design process through data technology," said Aleksandar Subosic, co-founder of Ivyrevel.
"To get a unique piece of clothing today you need to either buy a custom-made design piece or design it yourself, but that is generally not an affordable option and most people lack the design experience. The Data Dress enables women around the world to order a dress made entirely for them, that reflects the way they live their lives," the executive added.
The Data_Dress will be offered at what Ivyrevel calls an "accessible" price level. The app is currently in the closed beta stage, with an expected launch date to the public later this year.