Zyris Software understands what fashion tech is about

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Calgary is maybe not known so much for Technology or Fashion, but in spite of that MakeFashion has become a world leader in Fashion Technology, because in the end it’s the people that make the difference. Zyris first came to our show it was obvious that they immediately understood MakeFashion – and immediately had ideas for how to make a difference. It is this kind of passion and collaboration that makes magic happen.

But the part that really showed that they understood MakeFashion was the collaboration between Zyris and local designer Stephanie Krause, when they came to the show sporting a brand new fashion tech garment that they made together. In the weeks preceding the show they demonstrated creativity, collaboration and innovation. The documented the process here – watch the video (it’s pretty long) but it is the best example I can think of to demonstrate how the Zyris team goes above and beyond.

When you’re trying to change the world, it’s important that you have partners that are aligned with your vision, Zyris has been one of those for us.

Thank you.

How Wearable Tech Helped a Little Hockey Fan See Her First Hockey Game

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Every so often I’ll come across a wearable tech story while scrolling through my Facebook, that tugs at my heartstrings, a story that shows why so many people are invested in creating tech that can improve the quality of someone’s lives. Read more

Wearable Translator for Travellers

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My head is always in the clouds, I love to travel. Meeting new people, exploring new lands, tasting new food, immersing myself in a new culture has always driven me to travel more. One of the largest problems that arise when I travel, besides the state of my bank account, is language barriers.

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New Year, New [Tech]

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January. A time for new beginnings, new resolutions, and new gym memberships. A time where the gyms are packed with people hoping to lose their holiday weight gain and become a healthier version of themselves. Wearable tech has become an asset to people who are serious about the gym. Fitness trackers have grown from cheap and simple step trackers to devices that can monitor your heart and track your sleep. Here are a list of the best wearable gadgets for getting in shape.

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Athena, New Tech to Protect Women.

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Yasmine Mustafa, a Philadelphia-based entrepreneur, has created a new device, Athena, a simple device with a big goal- protect women from physical assaults at the touch of a button.

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Hello [MakeFashion], is it me you’re looking for?

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Hello! My name is Mary, and I am the new-ish intern for MakeFashion. I am also entering my fourth year of journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary. I’ve been a storyteller all my life,  which made my decision to study journalism a very natural one. Through my four years of uni I have learned how to develop stories through various creative mediums. My favourite being video!

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Video: MakeFashion 2016 by Standout Publications

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Thanks Standout Publications for attending our 2016 gala and the fantastic video coverage of the event.

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MakeFashion Journey Video

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Can you believe we’re nearly four years old? See some of the recent highlights in our journey in this video by Paul Spenard.

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Be a part of our team! Long-term volunteer opportunities.

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Be a part of the MakeFashion team!

We are looking for a number of long-term volunteer positions. Rather than one-off volunteer positions, these roles will be an ongoing member of our team.

Volunteer Benefits
As part of our team, you will work directly with our founding and organizing team, including Shannon and Maria Hoover (MakeFashion Co-Founders, Leads on Calgary MakerFaire, and owners of ARCHEloft), Chelsea Klukas (MakeFashion Co-Founder, Senior Lead for Amazon Community at Seattle Headquarters, and former Creative Director for fashion-tech startup BeauCoo), and Catherine Hazin (MakeFashion Artistic Director, editor and writer for Calgary Bride and Co-Founder of Meta Labs Inc). Working directly with these industry leaders, you will gain mentorship, guidance, and references. You will have the opportunity to directly impact a worldwide leader in the wearable technology space as we tour internationally across North America, Europe, and Asia. You will also be credited as a team member on our website and printed materials. MakeFashion is a non-profit (our founding team and organizers don’t earn a paycheque), but as we grow, full-time paid positions may become available and we will give first priority to our volunteers who are on the journey with us.

Available Positions
To apply for a long-term volunteer position, e-mail info@makefashion.com with your resume, linkedin, or CV. As these are core roles, the minimum time commitment will be 3 hours/week for a minimum of 6 months. All listed volunteer positions can be done remotely (you don’t need to live in Seattle or Calgary) and have flexible hours.

Social Media Co-ordinator

We leverage social media to promote our events and spread the word about our innovative wearable fashion work. This position will include creating and scheduling social media posts.

Skills (needs to have): Proficient writing and grammar, experience with Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Skills (nice to have): Experience with Buffer App, snapchat, periscope, and Pinterest. Basic photoshop (or other graphic editing) software.

MakeFashion Writer and Content Specialist

As our in-house writer/blogger, you will be generating content for our blog and printed materials. You will also assist with submitting guest articles to external media including newspapers and prominent online publications.

Skills (needs to have): Proficient writing and grammar, interest in fashion and technology.
Skills (nice to have): Experience with wordpress, basic HTML, research skills, experience with mail chimp.

Graphic Designer

MakeFashion has a strong visual identity. As our graphic designer you will work with our Creative Director to design printed and web materials within our visual guidelines.

Skills (needs to have): Adobe Creative Suite experience.
Skills (nice to have): Photo editing skills, wordpress experience.

To apply for a long-term volunteer position, e-mail info@makefashion.com with your resume, linkedin, or CV.

November Wearable Technology Roundup

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It seems like every month when I find out what’s new in the wearable technology world there seems to be an abundance of information that’s constantly coming out. For the most part wearable technology is new, and everyone has something to say about it. The world is watching as fashion and technology dance around each other. The latest news is that wearable technology is estimated that total global shipments will meet 52 million by the end of 2014, according to wearable.com.

For a long time it seemed as if the wearable technology community would never be able to live the Google Glass down. The infamous glasses resulted in the idea that all wearable technology is ugly. The Huffington Post would beg to differ; they recently curated the most stylish wearable technology trends on the market!

 

Some of my personal favorites are the Tory Burch Fit Tracker collaboration- super trendy coming in gold, silver, and rose gold and it tracks down your steps. Pair it with any outfit and you are good to go.

The Ralph Lauren Biometric shirt, it’s really one of the first clothing articles on the market that incorporate technology in the pieces. A conductive thread is woven into the shirt that measures your heart rate, stress levels, and breathing levels, which you can then plug into your smart device and viola. It’s simple and sleek and very useful.

Lastly,  Ringly. It’s an 18K gold ring that syncs up with your smartphone to deliver notifications that range from calendar reminders to emails! They came in a variety of colours; the onyx and emerald are my personal favorite!

 

Manhattan recently hosted Make: Wearables Projects on the Runway at Engadget Expand, where eighteen designers came up with impressive wearable technologies. There was an array of fashionable pieces that incorporated high tech pieces like kinetics, light, 3D printing, data logging, and data visualization. As well as the incredible skill it took to think up and create each piece. The work from the eighteen designers really pushes the boundaries beyond what wearable technology is and what it could be.

Now a lot of the news about fashion technology has to deal with fashion but recently there has been some interesting change that wearable technology could bring to the medical world. Intel announced the winners of its Make It Wearable contest, early last week, where wannabe gadget developers competed for more than $1 million in funding for their projects.

Second place went to Bristol based start up team, Open Bionics, who came up with a fully functioning prosthetic hand using 3D printers. The hand is made up of inexpensive, lightweight materials and costs a small fraction of other mechanical hands currently in the market. With an Open Bionics’ hand, wearers will be able to grasp and manipulate objects, operate the fingers individually, and can even type on a keyboard. The hand is controlled by reading responses from the muscle movements in the wearer’s forearm.

 

And lastly, a new form of wearable technology could help improve the communication between humans and dogs. With the help of a harness that is fitted with sensors, owners will be able to monitor both the posture and vital signs of their fur babies. This new wearable tech was designed in the US, and also contains vibrating motors so that owners can communicate with their dogs even if it’s out of sight. Which could definitely improve working with dogs.

It’s been a good couple of months for wearable technology, and we’re very excited for what is happening in the wearable’s community. Be sure to check out more of the wearable’s roundups next month, and to make sure to get your ticket to the MakeCocktails event, November 22, I hear it’s going to be a very delicious night!

 

– Article by Mary Yohannes Getaneh, a second year Journalism student at Mount Royal University and our MakeFashion intern.