Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, who is also co-founder of Melo7 Tech Partners, will join forces with Made Fashion Week, Katalyst Live, Intel and Accenture to launch Fast A/W15 on Valentine's Day, a showcase of emerging technologies, key collaborators and innovations defining the future of fashion, sports and technology.
Presented in Made Fashion Week's runway venue at Milk Studios during the height of NBA All-Star Weekend and New York Fashion Week, the first-of-its-kind event will invite cultural, sports, business and tech influencers to discover and interact with the latest sports-inspired devices, wearables, performance-enhancing consumer tech, and fashion-forward athletic apparel, as well as offer a unique look at what's to come.
Carmelo Anthony is the co-founder of Melo7 Tech Partners, which invests in innovative technology and new media ventures. Inspired by brands exploring new ways to marry technology, fashion and sports, Anthony stated: “I'm very excited and honored to present this initiative in collaboration with Made, Accenture, Katalyst LIVE and Intel. We hope to start a dialogue between fashion, sports and technology thought leaders that helps guide and nurture future innovation.”
“Through our relationship with Accenture, Made Fashion Week continues to explore the frontier of technology and fashion. This season, we're honored to collaborate with Carmelo Anthony, today's digital athlete, on this unprecedented experiential look into the cross-section of three industries – fashion, sports, and tech – that are growing more influential by the day,” said Jenné Lombardo, co-founder of Made Fashion Week.
The event will kick off with a power panel discussion hosted by Carmelo Anthony and moderated by Brent Blum, lead of Accenture's Wearable Technology practice. Fast will survey the evolving landscape and powerful convergence of fashion, sports and technology, as well as forecast what's next for brands at the helm of these cutting-edge products. The panel will feature insight from top influencers across the fields of fashion, culture, sports, tech and innovation, including:
- Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel
- Mike Bell, VP and General Manager of Intel's New Devices Group
- Stéphane Ashpool, Designer of Pigalle
- Sabine Seymour, Founder & CEO of MOONLAB
“The Fast event is a great example of the intersection of sports, fashion, and technology. It also reinforces how our respective industries are coming together more frequently to exchange new ideas and share diverse perspectives about what's possible in the future,” said Mike Bell, Intel Vice President and General Manager for the company's New Devices Group.
“Accenture believes in the need to take a 'fashion-first' approach to technology, focusing on both style and lifestyle and driving the industry discussion from High Tech to Haute Tech,” said Brent Blum, Wearable Technology practice lead at Accenture. “The worlds of sports, fashion and technology are converging at an exciting and unprecedented speed, which is why we're excited to team with Made, Melo7 Tech Partners, Intel and others to explore innovative applications of fashion-forward wearables in the sports industry. This is an important part of our ongoing efforts with Made to help shape and influence the critical intersection of fashion and technology.”
Haithem Elembaby, Founder & CEO of Katalyst LIVE and co-producer of the event, sets the stage for a unique collaboration and glimpse into the future: “We felt this was the right time to connect key decision-makers to share their insights. We're excited to provide this platform and see how their conversations will shape the landscape of innovation over the next five to ten years.”
Following the panel, an interactive showcase will display world-class exhibits of vanguard products resulting from experimentation across industries, from wearables to quantified self tech. The invite-only guest list will include 350+ top investors, founders, developers, influencers and celebrities. To conclude the event, guests will be treated to a special performance by iconic hip-hop trio De La Soul.
The full lineup for Fast A/W15 can be viewed at FastAW15.com.
