谷歌和Levi's合作的智能牛仔装会红吗？

09 谷歌和Levi's合作的智能牛仔装会红吗？

谷歌与李维斯（Levi's）合作研发的智能夹克预定2017年春季推出，它属于新一代科技时尚化的可穿戴产品。时尚界曾经在知名品牌的一次性服装上试验高科技，但无法实现大规模市场化应用。迄今为止，对此类高科技时装的市场认同度仍然相当低。科技时尚化究竟前景如何？

保罗·狄林格(Paul Dillinger)站在牛仔装生产商李维斯异常闷热的新装试验室里，正在试穿一件牛仔夹克新样装。这件牛仔装专为自行车运动员打造：防止参赛车手露出后背的圆尾形后摆以及防止窜风的防风式袖口，这款牛仔夹克犹如从天而降的魔杖，无所不能。

“看看这件新装今天能施展什么魔法？”他敲击着左胳膊笑问道，传感器缝进了牛仔面料中，变幻颜色的光束照射到了衣服袖口处。

袖口也如同被施了魔法：内置的高科技能让车手实现从接听电话到查询方位的各项功能。车手可以用自己的智能手机对夹克进行设置，夹克就能识别出车手最常用的电话联系人；通过谷歌地图提供的具体方位信息，车手可以轻击或重击袖口来发送大约何时到家的短信。

Now some fashion houses are starting to form partnerships with technology companies.Tech manufacturers are teaching fashion companies about how to make chips and batteries thin, while fashion houses are teaching techies about the trials of making many sizes and ensuring a teched-up garment is fit to launder.Chipmaker Intel has worked with watchmakers Fossil and Tag Heuer and eyewear company Luxottica, while fitness-tracker maker Fitbit has teamed up with both Tory Burch and clothing company Public School.

如今一些时尚品牌开始与科技类公司建立合作关系。科技类公司向时装公司传授制作小型芯片与电池的技术，而时装公司则向对方传授设计不同型号时装以及确保高科技时装耐洗的诀窍。芯片生产商英特尔联手Fossil、豪雅等腕表品牌以及全球最大的眼镜公司Luxottica，而穿戴式健身追踪器生产商Fitbit与汤丽柏琦以及时装品牌Public School成了合作伙伴。

Earlier this month during New York Fashion Week Michael Kors announced its first foray into wearable tech.In partnership with Google, the brand has unveiled a smart watch based on its bestselling analogue collection.The new Dylan and Bradshaw models include features such as notification functions, maps, and a voice-directed Google search facility.It will retail for £329.

九月初的纽约时装周期间，迈克·科尔斯首次宣布进军高科技可穿戴设备领域。在自己最畅销的analogue指针系列手表基础上，它与谷歌合作推出了一款智能腕表。最新推出的Dylan男表与Bradshaw女表拥有通知、地图以及语音定向谷歌探索等功能，其零售价为329英镑。

For Sidney Chang, the principal of business development at Google, these collaborations are an essential part of the company's future.“We're very nimble,” he explained during the launch last week.“We've already partnered with Fossil, Tag Heuer and Nixon on smartwatches, but each brand represents a different customer and a different set of criteria.We love the diversity of working with different brands, and developing wearables that reflect your identity.”

在谷歌业务开发部主管Sidney Chang看来，与时尚公司的合作对谷歌未来的发展至关重要。“我们会伺机而动。”在不久前的新品发布会上，他这样说道，“谷歌已与Fossil、豪雅以及Nixon合推了智能腕表，但每个品牌又代表了各自不同的消费群体与技术标准。我们喜欢与风格各异的不同品牌合作，研发反映品牌自身特色的可穿戴产品。”

If Google Glass was an excellent example of a great idea that looked tragically uncool, these new collaborations should go some way to bridging the gulf between function and fashionability.Google gets access to a younger, more image-focused market and all the benefits of a high-end marketing campaign.The fashion house gets to bring its brand to life in new ways, to a new audience.Everyone wins.

如果说谷歌眼镜是绝妙的想法开发成土里土气产品的“典范”，那么高科技公司与时尚品牌的珠联璧合或多或少弥补了功能与时尚之间的鸿沟。谷歌的受众是那些形象至上的年轻人，也是高端营销活动的最大受益者。时尚公司实现了品牌的脱胎换骨，又增加了新的消费群体，这对双方来说是双赢之举。

Google was also Levis' partner in developing the cycling jacket, bringing together Google's Advanced Technology and Projects team in Silicon Valley, with the brand's in-house skunk works.Dillinger, Levi's global product innovation lead, says the partnership worked because Google came willing to learn from Levi's as much as the other way round.

谷歌也是李维斯牛仔研发自行车手夹克外套的合作者，谷歌位于硅谷的前沿科技攻关小组与李维斯的研发团队实现了珠联璧合。李维斯产品创新部全球主管狄林格说双方的合作之所以成功，是因为双方都愿意从对方身上取长补短。

李维斯副总裁保罗·狄林格

“We had the best capabilities of the two companies frankly,” says Dillinger.“We are not very good at technology and they are not very good at garments.”

“平心而论，我们实现了集双方之优点于一身。”狄林格说，“高科技并非我们的强项，而服装也不是谷歌的强项。”

时尚与科技越发亲密无间，造就了更为时尚的可穿戴产品，但普通服装实现科技化依然任重而道远。

Fashion has been experimenting with technology in high profile one-off garments for a while.But it has not yet brought that technology to a larger market.People were wowed by the Marchesa dress — developed with IBM's artificial intelligence system, Watson — that changed colour when people tweeted.Make Fashion, a group of Canadian artists and engineers, have spent five years creating playful designs such as “Gamer Girls” dresses — where the dress changes depending on whether they win or lose.But thus far widespread uptake of such technologies has been slow.

时尚界曾经在知名品牌的一次性服装上试验高科技，但无法实现大规模市场化应用。IBM使用Watson人工智能系统设计的玛切萨裙子让时尚拥趸惊叹不已，它能根据Twitter用户的情绪变化实时变换颜色。由加拿大一些艺术家与工程师组成的团队Make Fashion花了五年时间设计“Gamer Girls”这类妙趣横生的女裙——它能根据输赢结果变换颜色。但迄今为止，对此类高科技时装的市场认同度仍然相当低。

Carolina Milanesi, a consumer technology analyst at Silicon Valley market research firm Creative Strategies, says the tech industry has failed to make wearables fashionable enough to expand beyond a niche of — often male — early adopters.“Technology doesn't do gender differentiation very well so far.You don't need it when a PC is a PC — and you don't need to change it if I'm a man or a woman — but it is different if I'm wearing it,” she said.

硅谷市场分析公司Creative Strategies消费科技分析师卡罗琳娜·米拉内西说，科技在实现可穿戴产品时尚化方面令人失望，接受者仍然仅限先期践行者这一小撮人而已（通常为男性）。“迄今为止，科技在性别差异化方面做得仍不尽如人意。就事论事时无需分析性别差异——也无需因性别而改动数据，但穿戴后的效果就大相径庭了。”她说。

当购物不再依靠卖相，而是越来越成为“情绪化产物”时，科技时尚化（即让科技更美观或无形化）也会助销售以一臂之力，让可穿戴产品卖出更高价格。

“‘哦，我的老天！这件东西美不胜收！我打算买它！'这种情之所至的冲动会让消费者对价格不屑一顾”。

词汇总结

foray ['fɒreɪ]

n.涉足，初次尝试；突袭；侵略；攻击

vi.袭击

vt.劫掠

Earlier this month during New York Fashion Week Michael Kors announced its first foray into wearable tech.In partnership with Google.

九月初的纽约时装周期间，迈克·科尔斯首次宣布进军高科技可穿戴设备领域。在自己最畅销的analogue指针系列手表基础上，它与谷歌合作推出了一款智能腕表。

collaboration [kəlæbə'reɪʃn]

n.合作

These collaborations are an essential part of the company's future.

与时尚公司的合作对谷歌未来的发展至关重要。

high-end ['haɪɛnd]

adj.高端的；高档的

Google gets access to a younger, more image-focused market and all the benefits of a high-end marketing campaign.

谷歌的受众是那些形象至上的年轻人，也是高端营销活动的最大受益者。

garment ['gɑːm(ə)nt]

n.衣服，服装；外表，外观

vt.给…穿衣服

We are not very good at technology and they are not very good at garments.

高科技并非我们的强项，而服装也不是谷歌的强项。

uptake ['ʌpteɪk]

n.摄取；领会；举起

But thus far widespread uptake of such technologies has been slow.

但迄今为止，对此类高科技时装的市场认同度仍然相当低。