The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
HERZOGENAURACH, Germany — Puma's latest contribution to the world of retro footwear — or is it the wearable tech movement? — is a revamped 32-year-old sneaker with computers in its heels.
The German company is selling a refurbished version of its 1986 RS-Computer shoe, which presaged an era in which athletes use gadgets to keep track of steps taken, distances covered and calories burned. The newer version retains the predecessor’s look, from the streamlined colour design up front to the bulky, “Back to the Future”-era device sticking out the back.
Much has changed since 1986, of course. For one thing, Puma in recent months has struggled to keep pace with consumers turning away from minimalist retro sneakers in favour of chunkier styles influenced by the fashion runway. While shoppers for a while were snapping up revived versions of classics like Puma’s Clyde and rival Adidas's Stan Smith, they’ve this year favoured bulkier footwear inspired by luxury brands’ designs, like Balenciaga’s $900 Triple S.
Then there’s the technology difference. In 1986, the RS-Computer shoe — the letters stand for “running system” — uploaded data on an athlete’s steps, distances and calories via a 16-pin connector to an Apple IIe or Commodore 64 home computer.
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Now, it’s equipped with Bluetooth technology that links with Android and Apple smartphones. It comes with an app, too, that manages and processes data — and, not incidentally, has old-school 8-bit graphics. The only thing to plug in now is a USB cable that recharges the lithium-polymer batteries.
The shoe probably won’t encroach much on the turf of exercise-tracking companies like Strava and Garmin. That’s because Puma plans to sell only 86 of them globally.
By Tim Loh; editors: Eric Pfanner, John J. Edwards III.
The algorithms TikTok relies on for its operations are deemed core to ByteDance overall operations, which would make a sale of the app with algorithms highly unlikely.
The app, owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance, has been promising to help emerging US labels get started selling in China at the same time that TikTok stares down a ban by the US for its ties to China.
Zero10 offers digital solutions through AR mirrors, leveraged in-store and in window displays, to brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Coach. Co-founder and CEO George Yashin discusses the latest advancements in AR and how fashion companies can leverage the technology to boost consumer experiences via retail touchpoints and brand experiences.
Four years ago, when the Trump administration threatened to ban TikTok in the US, its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd. worked out a preliminary deal to sell the short video app’s business. Not this time.