Fashion Fusion Labs

Deutsche Telekom has launched the “Fashion Fusion Challenge,” an international competition seeking visionary concepts that integrate high-tech and fashion. The Fashion Fusion Lab, a threemonth workshop, is the centerpiece, where selected teams work on developing prototypes of their concepts with industry experts. The challenge invites young talents from Europe to submit innovative concepts for high-tech clothing, wearables, or digital lifestyle products with the aim to blend high-tech and fashion into smart clothing. The competition involves collaboration with experts from the industry, fashion, and startup scenes – partners such as Intel, WIRED, Adidas, and #FASHIONTECH supported the initiative. The final prototypes were presented at #FASHIONTECH during Berlin Fashion Week.

The winner of Fashion Fusion Lab 2016 was the Trainwear team, composed of Gernot Bahle, Bo Zhou, and Lorenzo Fürg, who collaborated with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence to develop a revolutionary “virtual personal trainer.” Embedded in smart fitness clothing, this intelligent workout gear monitors parameters such as breathing, muscle tension, balance, and heart rate. The modular software system and custom sensors provide real-time feedback on body posture and exercise execution, offering an unparalleled user experience.

After cooperating in 2017 with Lufthansa Flying Lab, Telekom initiated another Fashion Fusion Lab in 2018. For the third consecutive year, Deutsche Telekom is championing visionary concepts at the intersection of fashion, technology, and product design through its “Telekom Fashion Fusion” program. Focusing on realistic market viability, the program supports startups and young entrepreneurs developing intelligent connections between high-tech, wearables, and smart services. Nine outstanding projects across three categories have been selected by a distinguished jury, with finalists working on prototypes until the Fashion Fusion Award Ceremony in July 2018 during Berlin Fashion Week. The 2018 jury includes experts from Adidas, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, FASHION TECH, Parsons School of Design, Gala, Intel, Fab Lab Berlin, UdK Berlin, WIRED Germany, and Deutsche Telekom.

In the end, the finalist KeyPod won the competition – their team based in Israel transforms clothing and accessories into interactive items for the “mobile-first” generation. The mission is to allow people to focus on the present while activating jogging apps, changing playlists, ordering taxis, sending voice messages, and more on the go — all without using or being distracted by a smartphone. This Israeli startup provides a scalable solution for brand manufacturers, offering a revolutionary, small, lightweight, washable unit with a battery life of many years. Brand manufacturers can enhance their products, track trends, and engage with consumers in innovative ways.