- Fashion Fusion sponsors state-of-the-art developments up until market readiness
- Professional support services for the finalists by partners, coaches, and trainers
- Award Ceremony with prize presentation in July 2018 during Berlin Fashion Week
Clothing that operates apps. Fabrics that communicate. 3D body scan set to replace the fitting room: Deutsche Telekom, through its Telekom Fashion Fusion program, is fostering the visionary ideas of start-ups and young entrepreneurs in the fashion, technology, and product design industries on new and intelligent ways of linking high-tech, wearables, and smart services. The ongoing digital revolution is connecting up more and more everyday objects daily and technology is increasingly becoming a routine part of daily life. That is why Deutsche Telekom created Fashion Fusion in 2016 – with the aim of providing a stimulus for the future and creating unique new brand experiences. The goal of the program is to use digital technologies to connect apparel, accessories, and devices together intelligently in ways that provide their users with new and innovative benefits. In contrast to the first edition of the initiative, in which the designs were really quite experimental in character, this time Deutsche Telekom has put a clear focus on ideas that have a realistic chance of reaching the market.
A high-caliber jury made up of renowned figures from industry and the fashion world selected the nine best ideas and approaches from the many entries in three pre-set categories: Connected Devices & Smart Accessories, Haute Couture & Show Fashion, and Business Solutions & Smart Services.
“Thanks to what has become a very high-profile jury and to our partners in industry, we were once again in a position to present the 2018 Fashion Fusion competition on an extremely professional basis,” states Antje Hundhausen, Vice President, Brand Experience, at Deutsche Telekom and founder of Fashion Fusion. “The important role that our program is now playing in this market environment can be seen in the nine extremely high-quality and extremely practical finalist projects. Our aim for the 2018 edition is to bring on the best project – with Deutsche Telekom and the jury as the joint driving force – right up to market readiness stage.”
The finalist teams will have until the end of June to get their prototypes ready. The participants can draw upon significant expertise and will be given all the materials they need to bring their ideas to life.
The prototypes will be demonstrated at a Fashion Fusion Award Ceremony to be held during Berlin Fashion Week in July 2018, at which the final winner will also be announced. The best team will win a cash prize of 15,000 euros and the opportunity to bring its creation on as far as the market readiness, with the help and support of Deutsche Telekom and its partners.
The members of the jury for the Deutsche Telekom 2018 Fashion Fusion Program includes experts from industry, the educational and research sector, and the world of fashion:
- Dirk Schönberger – Creative Director at adidas
- Prof. Dr. Paul Lukowicz – German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence
- Anita Tillmann – Managing Partner at FASHION TECH
- Burak Cakmak – Dean of the School of Fashion at the Parsons School of Design
- Marcus Luft – Fashion Director at Gala
- Christin Eisenschmid - VP & Germany Country Manager at Intel
- Daniel Heltzel - Fab Lab Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Gesche Joost – Professor for Design Research, Berlin University of the Arts (UdK)
- Nikolaus Röttger . WIRED Germany
- Claudia Nemat – Member of the Board of Management of Deutsche Telekom AG
- Antje Hundhausen –Vice President, Brand Experience, at Deutsche Telekom
- Anette Bronder – Director of the Digital Division & Telekom Security at T-Systems
The Deutsche Telekom Fashion Fusion competition is supported by Adidas and Intel, as well as the Premium International Fashion Trade Show and many other well-known partners.
About Deutsche Telekom: Deutsche Telekom Company profile