Wearable technology needs the input of the fashion industry to make products appeal to a wider audience if it is to reach its full potential, according to analyst firm Beecham Research.

“There is a very strong focus on technology around wearable devices [which is] a problem as they should be user-centric,” said Saverio Romeo, principal analyst with Beecham.

This is a market that will benefit from close sector multidisciplinary collaboration.He went on to add that wearable devices are “not only technology products, and cannot be.” This is a market that will benefit from close sector multidisciplinary collaboration.

Presuming this approach is taken, Beecham Research forecasts that the wearable sector will be worth $9.3 billion by 2018. On the other hand, if the current technology-focused approach continues, the market will be less than a third of this.

Claire Duke-Woolley, fashion technology analyst at Beecham Research, noted that the industry needs to understand that consumers won’t just buy products for cutting edge technology, but that branding and association are critical. Related to that, Duke-Wooley cited Google’s work with designer Dianne von Furstenberg and fashion retailer Luxottica around its Glass product.

In a similar vein, we’ve seen Apple recruiting fashion industry executives, such as Angela Ahrendts, the former CEO of Burberry.

[Image from amis.nl]