VR Fashion – Brighton

My Thursday evening consisted of me driving down to Brighton for the “VR in Fashion” event for Wired Sussex. I was invited down to speak to the Brighton tech community by the VR Fashtech guru Bushra Burge. I met her through Janne from Mind Fashion which is a fashion stable that Bushra and I are part of.

I was invited to speak about Tiger Heart and our approach to applying tech in a world filled with the “Internet of things that no one needs”. I was sharing the stage Bushra and Kristina Dimitrova from Interlaced (another great friend who is doing great things in the Fashion Tech space).

Bushra presented first. Bushra is a really interesting lady, very modest about her work which involves a very innovative approach to creating interactive VR content that is experienced through wearing cool fashion pieces made from discarded goods. A very unique and fun way of experiencing VR that gives a breath of fresh air to a medium that is oversaturated with gaming or short films. Check out her work here.

This was my first time being exposed to the Brighton tech community which is extremely buoyant due to the Unity offices being nearby. I have a lot of love for Brighton for its notorious liberalism and as it was one of the cities outside of London that my band Anonymous Tip used to perform at a lot when we used to tour. It’s a great city filled with a pulse that always makes me smile.

Tech panels London are very similar so it was nice to present in a room that felt very different to what I was used to. There was a really artistic vibe in the room and a lot of female tech professionals which was awesome.

My presentation went well, I spoke about the Burberry project I worked on in 2011 and also the Eric Schmidt data visualisation project that Tiger Heart delivered back in November. We also focussed on the strength of narrative in the tech space and why it needs to dictate the user journey. It all went down well and was fun.

Last but not least was Kristina who focussed on the powers and problems of social status through social media. Her presentation focussed on a fake AI that has millions of followers and has been sponsored by Prada and Chanel. An exciting insight into the state of humanity and where she feels causing stirs. Check out Interlaced here.

Kristina, Bushra and I then mingled with the audience for a bit. Tiger Heart friend and Artistic partner Sara Pope was in the crowd which, was wonderful. Sometimes the road can be a lonely place so it’s nice to see a familiar face. There were also some interesting people I spoke to all of which had something to say. I met a guy who filmed each presentation on 360 VR and said (and I quote) “was going to rush home and watch the experience straight away”.

It was a fun and inspiring evening. The Brighton tech scene felt unique to me and was very welcoming to Tiger Heart. No booze as I had to drive home and get ready for an early flight the following morning.