Christian Siriano and Verizon Wireless Debut the First-Ever #SocialImprint Garments

Fashion and tech are having a moment, and designers are scrambling to get in on the fun. Tory Burch collaborated with Fitbit on a stylish range of fitness accessories, Rebecca Minkoff just showed her own collection of tech wearables during Fashion Week and designers are already imagining the concepts for Apple Watch wrist bands. Verizon Wireless is getting in on the action, too, teaming with buzzy designer Christian Siriano to marry tech and fashion in a truly unique way.

Siriano’s pieces may not be able to take your pulse or track the miles you run, but they will tell you what people were talking about during last week’s Fashion Rocks TV special. Verizon and Siriano have created the very first #socialimprint dress, created with the help of TV viewers commenting and sharing content from the Fashion Rocks broadcast on social media. Verizon assigned a color and a pattern to the top eight trending conversations in music and fashion to produce a pattern that was printed onto cloth and handed over to Siriano to work his magic. “I just thought it was a really cool idea, something really new,” Siriano said about the project. “Social media is such a big part of all of our lives now and I felt like it’s a cool way to introduce something fashionable and wearable, but in a tech space that I’ve never really done.” 

Image: Courtesy of Verizon

And for a first-timer, Siriano did a pretty bang-up job, delivering two very becoming looks — a maxi dress and a belted cape — which will go up for auction on Charitybuzz to benefit Dress for Success at 2:00 p.m. today until September 26. “I didn’t want the dresses to be something that you could just wear on an interview,” Siriano said. “I really wanted them to be something powerful. The cape coat is more powerful and the maxi dress is more playful.”

Of course, Siriano wasn’t without a few concerns working on this new project. “I was worried. I wasn’t sure the print was going to work, but in the end what happened to be trending with the colors — it worked out.” The designer said he specifically chose colors that went with the ones he used for his Spring 2015 collection. He wanted these looks (which he styled with sunglasses and shoes from the line) to tie in. 

“This is my first sort of entry into [tech], so we’ll see how it goes,” he explained. “It’s scary, technology and old school making beautiful clothes. You have to find a good balance.” But even though Siriano’s taking baby steps into the tech abyss, he said he’s ready to jump into this uncertain landscape, starting with picking up an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. “I don’t know what either of them do,” he admitted when we asked which version of the phone he’d consider trying. “We’ll figure it out though — I’ll have to get one.” 

As for the Apple Watch? “I’m not very tech savvy, so I don’t think I’d be very good at it,” he said.

We have faith, however, that Siriano will easily be able to get the hang of it! Watch the making of the #socialimprint pieces below. 


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