Chinese like a mix of technology and style
In 2015, when Apple Inc released watches in association with the French luxury house Hermes, it took the fashion world by storm.
The two sectors crossed paths at the Met Gala in 2016, the annual cultural extravaganza in New York, with celebrity dresses highlighting the latest in technology.
But the world’s largest market for wearable devices — appealing to geeks and fashionistas alike — is China.
Last year, 38.76 million units of wearable gadgets were shipped in China, a 57.1 percent rise as compared with 2015, according to International Data Corporation. The US market research company estimated such shipments would touch 50 million this year, taking the market value to more than 26 billion yuan ($3.76 billion).
Smartwatches were the most popular wearable devices last year and the trend is likely to continue through 2017.
Xiaomi Corp, a top Chinese phone maker, has been offering “smart wristbands” at prices as low as 69 yuan, making them accessible to a wide group of people. Connected to Xiaomi phones, the wristbands track a user’s fitness level and sleep data. With expertise in technology, such brands are trying to expand their base to more fashion-focused customers.
Misfit, a US-based wearable technology company, introduced its wrist product, Ray, a fitness-and-sleep monitor, at a Beijing fashion show in summer. Owned by Fossil Group, which makes watches for Michael Kors, Diesel, Adidas, Karl Lagerfeld and Burberry, Misfit is keen to move closer to the fashion world, co-founder Sonny Vu said in a previous interview to the paper.
“We want to make wearable technology that does not look like wearable technology,” he said. “We want to make products that are indistinguishable from jewelry.”
While digital brands are looking at style, fashion labels are incorporating the elements of smart technology in their products.
Fossil launched a smart analog watch collection in the Chinese mainland last year. With their classic looks, these watches can track sleep and fitness levels of wearers as well.
Alisha Shroff, marketing director, Fossil Brand Asia Pacific, said the brand is going to emphasize fashion in order to differentiate itself from other technology-oriented products.
“It will look like a watch, but have the technology,” she said. “Digital is where the future is headed and where we will invest heavily.”
Chinese companies are trying to make the most of the trend, too.
Totwoo, a Beijing-based smart jewelry brand, has been emphasizing jewelry over technology since it was founded in 2015. Connected to a phone application, users can greet their friends and family members who wear the brand’s jewelry, with sparkles signaling the arrival of such messages.
“This is a global opportunity… We want our jewelry to focus on love, identity and luck. The messages are the same, but we express them in different ways,” Wang Jieming, its co-founder and CEO, said.
But some challenges lie ahead as New York-based market research firm e Marketer has discovered. While wear able devices have quickly attracted a following of young people by offering fitness trackers and other such functions, they lack a definitive user base as they are seen struggling to offer more sophisticated elements in products.