"This isn't the first time drones have been used on the catwalk but when Silicon Valley did it two years ago people thought it was really tacky — but this time people thought it was great," Kapfunde told Sputnik.
Fashion house Dolce and Gabbana recently selected drones instead of models to launch its new collection of handbags on the catwalk with around seven drones hovering over the runway each clasping a handbag costing USD $3000 and above; the drones stole the show.
"Tech should be part of fashion and used to improve the customer experience — it shouldn't overshadow fashion," Kapfunde said. "Used as a PR stunt it will overshadow a product," Muchaneta Kapfunde founding editor in chief at FashNerd.com told Sputnik.
Kapfunde, who has worked in the fashion industry for 14 years says the PR stunt was a nod towards the merger of fashion with technology, suggesting the next hot trend is "smart fabric."
"Smart fabric where I can see the merge of fashion and tech really taking off," Kapfunde explains. "Smart textiles and biofabrication offer transparency and sustainability to the fashion industry. Some designers are growing materials to replace materials like plastic which destroys the earth, It's about technology serving the wearer."
Smart technology Artificial Intelligence (AI) is infiltrating every industry, fashion is the latest to merge design with tech. "Fashion tech is still in its infancy,"Kapfunde told Sputnik who says an increasing number of designers are turning to creators of smart fabrics to use technology in their designs.
"AI just gets better and can create that perfect fabric. Imagine a stain resistant white dress? Hydrophobic fabric is being created which doesn't stain, the wine just trickles off."
Kapfunde also predicts Blockchain technology will have a big influence on the fashion industry, helping consumers trace their products to see how sustainable and ethical supply chains are with sweatshops becoming obsolete.
"Imagine being able to trace your product from where it started production by just scanning a bar code? I do see a future like that, it's the fourth industrial revolution and consumers are demanding changes; they have no idea the power they yield if they use it."
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik