Electric Runway Podcast

It's 2020, and if you're an online retailer not already thinking about the implications of artificial intelligence on your business then allow today’s episode to provoke your consideration: Our guest today is Ashwini Asokan, the CEO and founder of Vue.Ai, a US/India-based startup that has developed an AI platform to help online retailers increase sales and work more efficiently. They do this by automating simple yet important tasks such as product tagging and personalized recommendations....

In episode 123 of the Electric Runway podcast, we're talking about how technology is changing bespoke apparel. The word “bespoke” is derived from the British word “bespeak” which means to discuss in advance or to order or reserve something. You can see here why the word has had a long-standing relationship with tailoring and tailor-made clothing. At one time, garments were created based on consumer demand and to their measurements and specifications. While the industrial revolution may have...

Electric Runway has returned from Barcelona where founder and FashionTech journalist Amanda Cosco was taking part in Reshape. As you heard in last week's episode, Reshape is an exhibition and content series that explores the future of fashion through the lens of innovation. This week, we hear from Miquel Serrano, the Events Director at Fira de Barcelona. Fira de Barcelona has a portfolio of 70 international trade shows and over 4.4 million square feet of show space. Each year, Fira gathers...

In this week's episode, fashion futurist Amanda Cosco sits down with Aldo Sollazzo, the founder of Noumena and organizer of the Reshape Conference. Taking place October 29th thru 31st in Barcelona, Reshape is a part of Industry Arena 19 at Fira Barcelona in coordination with IoT Solutions World Congress. Tune in to learn more about what to expect from Reshape and how the event aims to bridge innovation and industry. Blog post for this episode here: More on Reshape here:...

From eCommerce to wearables, digital innovation has greatly impacted the fashion industry, but how can technology empower a more sustainable fashion future? FashionTech journalist Amanda Cosco sits down with Mikhail Damiani, the CEO and co-founder of Blue Bite. Blue Bite connects brands and consumers by waking up products and bringing them to life with digital technology. In doing so, they transform items like handbags, sneakers, apparel, and even signage into a new channel that engages...

Fashion futurist Amanda Cosco interviews Chris Homer of ThredUp to discover how the California company is bringing Silicon Valley innovation to the $24 billion resale market in order to drive a more sustainable and circular fashion future. All over the world, the Climate Crisis is on everyone’s mind; Last week, millions of activists and concerned citizens took to the streets for a global climate strike, urging leaders to take meaningful action towards curbing catastrophic climate change. So...

Today we’re continuing our coverage of WEAR Conference—that’s the World Ethical Apparel Roundtable—taking place October 7th-8th in Toronto. Fashion futurist Amanda Cosco speaks with Stephanie Benedetto, the CEO and Founder of Queen of Raw. Queen of Raw is a global online marketplace to buy and sell sustainable and deadstock fabrics and textiles. Stephanie shares more about her long family history in apparel as well as how Queen of Raw is saving billions of gallons of water by rescuing...

It’s September, which means it’s officially fashion season, but before the runway shows kick off in New York we’re bringing you a conversation about sustainability in the fashion industry. When it comes to sustainability, it seems as though the fashion industry is experiencing a kind of reckoning. According to a recent article from Fast Company, the fashion sector is accelerating the pace of the predicted climate disaster. In 2015, fashion and manufacturing generated 1.2 billion tonnes of...

An update from Electric Runway founder Amanda Cosco

On this week's episode of the Electric Runway podcast, fashion-tech journalist Amanda Cosco interviews Kunal Amalean, the co-founder of Runway Kit. Runway Kit is an end-to-end digital platform that democratizes the design and manufacturing process for fashion startups and design entrepreneurs. By leveraging the expertise and facilities of its parent company (MAS Holdings) Runway Kit levels the playing field for small to medium fashion enterprises and provides them with everything they need...

FashionTech Journalist Amanda Cosco welcomes Poshmark back to the show. This time, we're speaking with Maria Morales, the Director of International Expansion. She's here to tell us about Poshmark’s venture into Canada 🇨🇦 For those who don’t know, Poshmark is a leading social commerce marketplace where members can buy and sell new or used clothing, shoes, accessories, and even housewares. Their expansion into Canada means Canadians will now be able to set-up shop and turn their closets into...

Fashion futurist Amanda Cosco takes you inside Collision 2019, North America's fastest-growing tech conference. Collision took place May 19th thru 23rd at the Enercare Centre in Toronto. More than 25,000 participants from 125 countries ascended on the city to check out hundreds of exhibitors and 730 speakers across 15 tracks. Collision’s success underlines what we’re already seeing across Canada—that is, a boom of interest and investment in technological innovation. In fact, according to IT...

Our guest today is Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, a designer, researcher, and professor, as well as the founder of Interwoven Design Group. Interwoven is a New York-based innovative design studio specialized in wearable technology and textiles. Pailes-Friedman shares her experience working with a diverse array of clients— from NASA to the Brooklyn Ballet. Blog post for this episode --> https://electricrunway.com/what-else-can-your-clothing-do-for-you/ Follow Interwoven Design Group on Instagram...

Although hemp was one of the first plants to be spun into a useable fiber 10,000 years ago, it was made illegal to grow without a permit in the USA in 1970 under the Controlled Substances Act. Now with legalization underway across parts of North America, hemp is being revisited for the miracle plant it was once known as so long ago. And, with advances in science, there are new ways to treat hemp that can transform it from a high-performance fiber into a smart one. On today's episode of the...

Fashion Futurist Amanda Cosco discusses the Met Gala 2019 and how wearable tech showed up on the red—er, pink carpet this year. Our guest today is Alexander Ingram, the Head of Communications and PR for North. North is a Canadian startup that wants to sell you your first pair of smart glasses. Their fashion-first approach to facial computing has investors like Amazon paying attention. Tune in to find out how North's signature product, called Focals, was the result of a pivot from a previous...

Soha Yasrebi is an electrical engineer-turned Venture Capitalist for Omers Ventures, as well as a member of New York Fashion Tech Lab’s expert network. In today's episode of the Electric Runway podcast, she shares with us the trends in the marketplace she's keeping an eye on as they pertain to changing consumer behaviour. Soha is chatting with us in advance of her appearance at FashionTech Toronto. For those not in-the-know, FashionTech TO is a meetup in Toronto taking place at the Design...

Steve Martell is the VP of Creative Technology at Current Studios, an award-winning agency focused on connecting digital and physical experiences that push the boundaries of technology. Current Studios has done work with well-known consumer brands and retailers, including Walmart, Cover Girl, and Samsung. In his conversation with Fashion Futurist Amanda Cosco, Steve shares what it was like to bring cutting-edge technology like AI and AR to retail experiences. Blog post for this episode -->...

Anouk Wipprecht is an internationally recognized fashion tech designer known for fusing couture fashion with robotics and artificial intelligence to create garments that move, breathe, and react to the environment around them. Anouk has produced innovative work in collaboration with some of the biggest technology and entertainment companies, including Intel, Audi, Disney, and Cirque du Soleil. In her second appearance on the Electric Runway podcast, Anouk shares what she has been working on...

In this episode, Fashion Futurist Amanda Cosco interviews Steve Statler, the SVP of Marketing and Business Development at Wiliot. Wiliot is an Israel-based startup that aims to switch on the fashion industry and enable a whole new digital life for apparel, accessories, and footwear. They’re doing this by integrating into products a paper-thin, battery-free Bluetooth chip that harvests energy from radio frequencies in the air. It’s a small and simple solution that has tremendous implications...

Today's episode of the podcast is a live recording from a panel Electric Runway founder Amanda Cosco recently moderated focused on augmented reality for retail. The panel took place Thursday, March 21st at Startwell, a co-working and meeting space on King Street West in Toronto, as a part of a meetup group called AWENite TO. For those who don’t know, Augmented World Expo is the largest conference in North America for those involved in augmented reality, and their satellite events take place...