iPod Epaulets, Anyone?

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Author: Applebaum, Michael

Downloadable Fashions

Fashion Week, currently underway in New York, is a rite of passage for designers and a ride of passage for opportunistic brands. For a company like Olympus, which returned as title sponsor, the event's coattails can strengthen its market positioning as a hip fashion accessory. (See Bloomingdale's for Stylus Verve digital camera. In copper.)

The challenge for designers is a bit tougher. Artists must present their collections with a nod to corporate benefactors, and props, signage and VIP gift bags are no longer enough. Increasingly, the trick is to find synergies within the actual designs. "[Sponsors' products are] more aligned with the fabric, texture and color of the clothing line," said Tom Julian, a trendspotter with Fallon, New York.

To be sure, it is a creative challenge to incorporate a camera into the design of a dress. Rather, given his partnership with Olympus, young Columbian designer Esteban Cortazar will attempt to convey the Verve's aesthetic--perhaps through a turquoise or silver metallic look--as runway models clutch the sleek little cameras in lieu of a purse. Likewise, Duckie Brown will try to channel the Olympus' m:Robe digital music player/camera into his menswear line. ("Robe" means wearable in Japanese. Don't look for a terrycloth collection.)

The ongoing interplay of fashion and technology is a plus for tech marketers looking for an edge in a design-obsessed, iPod-carrying culture. But how do fashion purists view the encroachment into their territory?

Julian said sponsorship is good business for up-and-comers, but strong results depend on tasteful selection. He noted a previous Fashion Week where a designer unveiled a "classy" pendant in the form of a Siemens Slider phone.

"Fashion eyes have become very comfortable with technology products in a unique and stylized presentation," he said. "It's not a disconnect anymore."

PHOTO (COLOR): It's so you! Cortazar will get his design inspiration from the Verve.

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Edited by Michael Applebaum