Technology Meets Fashion

You don’t normally associate Google, with its durable search engine and nerdy office complex in Silicon Valley, CA, with sophisticated fashion magazine Vogue and its sleek New York newsroom. But the two have recently joined forces in a 12-page futuristic fashion spread in Vogue’s infamous September issue featuring Google Glass Expedition.

Google Glass is a hands-free, head-mounted device that can be worn by users as wearable computing eyewear, according to Natalie Thompson of Google. The device looks like a pair of normal eyeglass, but “the lens of the glasses actually have an interactive, smartphone-like display with voice command support as well as Bluetooth and wireless connectivity,” she said.

With groundbreaking features literally changing how people see things, Google Glass is a hands-free device that allows users to live in the moment instead of juggling between their phone, tablet and computer. But as Google enters the market of wearable technology, the biggest challenge does not revolve engineering this futuristic product. Instead, the challenge lies within the task of making their product stylish to the public.

“While it is fascinating that this may mark the beginning of a technology that changes how we interact and process information, I couldn’t help but feel like character from a science fiction movie,” said business analyst at Apple, Inc. Lissa Steppe after demo-ing Glass.

With co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin, recently reporting the prototype design represents a near complete model; Google must erase any “dorky” connotations from their product’s name before its official release to the public. What better way to build a fashionable reputation than decorating the pages of Vogue?

Featured against a variety of retro-futuristic backdrops in a spread called “The Final Frontier,” Google Glass makes it’s high-end fashion editorial debut. Shot in Lubbock, Texas against a 110-ton steel house, model Raquel Zimmermann’s sleek chic demeanor displays the forward-looking accessory in a trendy and modern light. Aligning its product not only with the fashion world but one of its most sacred texts, Google hopes to replace its “sci-fi” standing with a more fashionable reputation to generate consumer appeal.

“The Vogue September issue has become a cultural touchstone ahead of New York’s Fashion Week,” said Chris Dale, communications manager for the Glass team at Google. “Seeing Glass represented so beautifully in this issue is a thrill for the entire Glass team.”

xoxo, 

pearls & spikes