Is wearable tech worth more than your phone?

Is following the Techwear trend worthy of losing out on buying the latest Samsung Galaxy S10 or MacBook? Putting the aesthetics aside, just how worth it is it to purchase a £4,000 Techwear piece?

Photo Courtesy of Marc-Olivier Jodoin

When mindlessly scrolling down your Instagram explore page it’s nearly possible to not run into a picture of an individual draped in dark, striking outfits with a dash of cutting-edge taste. Formed as a result of the unusual crossover between the outdoors industry and fashion,

Techwear is a style of dressing focused on maximizing comfort and utility in everyday life. Techwear aims to tear down the wall between aesthetics and utility to benefit a technology-enabled future.

Techwear is heavily influenced by futuristic fashions such cyberpunk. Styles vary from sleek, underrated, and elaborate to striking and militaristic.

Photo Courtesy of Mwangi Gatheca

Grey Techwear tends to focus on visually looking like standard clothing, but materialistically being constructed by high-tech fabrics, high-end laser machines, and functionality. Brands that exemplify grey Techwear include Isaora, NikeLab, and Arc’teryx Veillance.

When you’re in the mood for darker shades, black Techwear prefers to be bold, primarily influenced by the military and outdoor gear. ACRONYM, Adidas Y-3, and Guerilla Group are among the brands sporting this kind of clothing. To them, black is the new black. It’s downright badass.

Despite the obvious appeal of Techwear, there have been plenty of arguments against the advancement of this fashion, some of which being that Techwear is typically quite literally more expensive than your cell phone, negatively suggestive, brand-centric, one-dimensional, and clunky.

“Some pieces can be bought at reasonable prices, but communities tend to label these products as ‘low-level outfits.’”

The Techwear world is filled with oligopolies. Because there are so few companies in the field, Techwear is extremely expensive. Your typical hard-shell jacket sells for a whooping £4,000 or more depending on the brand and quality making buying an entire outfit quite the plunge.

When a consumer buys a piece of fashion, it is said that they are required to sacrifice one of the following: form, function, or value. Considering that Techwear is unlikely to compromise form and function, it is no longer the price tag is so hefty.

Some pieces can be bought at reasonable prices, but communities tend to label these products as “low-level outfits,” says Anthony Suppes, “all higher flexes require brands such as Y3, ACRONYM, and Arc’Teryx Veilance.”

Photo Courtesy of Peri Stojnic

Techwear not only comes at a financial price. but also, in how the public perceives them. The face masks and zipper-cladded clothing of black Techwear has been labelled in the past as, “school shooter” apparel. Donning a black Techwear outfit might draw a few unwanted glances your way- costing thousands of pounds for the pleasure.

Techwear is often described as static, undiversified, one-dimensional, clunky, and busy. The majority of Techwear outfits rely on parachute bombers and cargo pants and monochrome colours. Thus, making it difficult to carry this one-dimensionality into different styles and trends. The over maximisation of utility is typically not functional and are there for aesthetic reasons.

An Instagram picture could easily make a person want to flaunt a £4,000 jacket, but at what expense?