If the new Hermès Apple Watch is a little out of price range, but you’re after something more than the standard fitness band to fulfill your wearable tech gift giving quest this holiday, look no further…
In honor of those thinking about fashion and not just function, here’s a round-up of 10 wearables now on the market worth checking out. They not only do neat things like pay for products or help charge your other devices, but look pretty good too.
Everpurse x Kate Spade New York
Top of the list is a series of leather Kate Spade New York handbags that feature an in-built “SmartPocket” to instantly and wirelessly charge your iPhone. Created by Everpurse, the collection consists of three styles in different colorways: a wristlet, small Harmony tote and large Frieda tote. The point here is that the bags look like any other bag, but the tech inside makes it all that much more practical. All you have to do is put your phone into the pocket whether you’re on the go or sat in a restaurant for it to instantly start charging until it hits full capacity. Then you place your bag back on the USB-powered charging mat that comes with it to top up the battery again. The good news is the technology is light, airport travel-safe, credit card safe, and compatible worldwide. You can get your hands on one for $198-$698.
The Unseen
UK department store Selfridges is currently selling a luxury, limited-edition accessories collection that changes color. Created by The Unseen, a London-based company fusing the worlds of science and design, the items shift from one shade to another based on user interaction or the environment they’re placed in. There’s a calfskin backpack that shows vivid flushes in response to air pressure as the atmosphere brushes across it’s surface, or an Italian alligator-skin shoulder bag with environmentally responsive ink that changes to reflect the different seasons in the UK. It turns black in the winter, red in the spring, blue in the summer and green fading to red in the autumn. Other items change based on body temperature, touch, wind and sunlight, including a necklace, cuff, scarf, wallet, coin purse, phone case, backpack, and more. Prices range from £35 to £1,750 (about $55-$2,650).
Altruis by Vinaya
“Stay connected, not distracted,” reads the tagline for this smart jewelry. Altruis, as it’s called, is based on the idea of understanding how our relationship with our smartphone negatively impacts our ability to be human. As a result, it uses an iOS app to connect items including a ring, bracelet and necklace to your phone, making them vibrate when you receive important emails, texts, calls or Whatsapp messages, but otherwise leaving you in peace. It’s about remaining subtly connected to things that are truly important, while getting back to real life in the meantime. The best thing is, the jewelry, as modeled by founder Kate Unsworth above, genuinely looks great too. The items retail for $345-$430.
Unmade
Unmade is the new customer-facing brand from disruptive knitwear company Knyttan. Based on a range of sweaters and scarves, the line gives shoppers the ability to customize exactly what they want their product to look like in terms of color and placement of pattern. Each item then gets made then and there (or within a few days depending on the queue). It’s much like 3D printing would operate, but on this occasion its using traditional industrial knitting machines that the team have essentially hacked to make it possible to “print” just one-off designs without it becoming an enormously costly exercise. The London-based start-up has all sorts of great designer collaborations in the works, including with the likes of Christopher Ræburn. If you’re in town, they also have a pop-up in store in Covent Garden ahead of the holidays. Prices range from £60-£200 (about $90-$300) and range from merino wool to cashmere.
Misfit x BaubleBar
With its subtle design aesthetic, Misfit has long been one of the most fashionable tracking devices out there. A partnership with Swarovski took the brand on much more of a path towards bling, and now a new launch with online jewelry brand BaubleBar heightens that idea further. The Helena Necklace and Helena Bracelet both take their inspiration from vintage jewelry, with a gold locket-like enclosure featuring a bold flower design. Stashed inside is the Misfit Flash tracking device (a cheaper, plastic version of the Misfit Shine), which monitors sleep and activity levels, including calories burned, distance traveled and steps taken. Ideal for gifting, the Helena items including the Flash are on sale for just $69.99 exclusively at
Topshop x bPay
Topshop is selling a line of accessories that incorporate bPay by Barclaycard contactless payment technology. That means you can pay for other items using everything from a wristband to an iPhone case or a keyring. Targeted at somewhat of a younger market, the designs come with a monster fish print on them and range in price from just £15-£32 (about $22-$48). Each accessory holds a small bPay contactless chip, which links to a secure digital wallet. Anyone with a UK Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card (not just Barclays customers) can use them, adding funds to their digital wallet via a mobile app or online through the bPay web portal.
Love & Robots
For those in Dublin, a tech highlight lies in Love & Robots’ pop-up store on Dame Lane. This Ireland-based 3D printing company (which of course, also sells online and ships to numerous countries), allows consumers to customize jewelry and home accessories including clocks, coasters and wall art. The jewelry includes 9k and 14k gold, sterling silver, bronze as well as various plated metals and acrylic materials. They come in everything from fun text-based necklaces to beautiful twisted earring designs as well as various geometric shapes that you can “pick’n’mix” into a statement piece yourself. The idea with all of it is to tweak and redesign the accessories yourself. For men, there are also wooden bow ties and cufflinks that can be personalized with different lasercut patterns, engravings, images and even unique map designs. Prices start from £25 (about $38)
Ringly
Ringly is another smart jewelry brand. Launched in matte gold and now also in a gunmetal style, these are rings crafted with hand-cut semi-precious gemstones such as emerald, black onyx and labradorite. “We’re redefining how people communicate with technology, their environment and with each other,” reads the brand statement. What that means is customized notifications including different vibration patterns and a subtle light shining on the side of the ring thanks to a Bluetooth connection to your phone. As a result, you’re able to tell who is getting in touch whether it’s by email, text message, call or more. Like Altruis, it’s about making technology a more discreet part of life. The rings retail for $195-$260.
Gemio
This one is for the younger wearable tech aficionado in your life. Gemio makes high-tech friendship bracelets that enable both self-expression and connection with others. Users can personalize their style by snapping on and off different gemsets and setting different light sequences using the 20 RGB LEDs placed beneath. They can then pair them with a friend’s, whereby both will light up when they’re nearby in-person with pre-selected signature patterns. They can also set different light effects to gestures like a wave hello or a twist of the wrist, and change the colors based on a shirt they choose to wear. The bracelets start at $80 and swappable Gemsets at $20 – they’re available for pre-order now and will ship in Q2 2016.
Away
Ok number 10 on the list isn’t strictly speaking a wearable, but who wouldn’t want super sleek, not to mention “smart”, luggage to accompany their look? Enter Away, a new start-up designed for the discerning traveller, which not only beats out many of its competitors with a carry-on price tag of just $225 (the only item available to order so far), but also offers features like a built-in 10,000 mAh battery to charge your electronics. It’s also got a Makrolon polycarbonate hardshell, interior silk lining, TSA-approved lock, and quiet 360-spinner wheels. The brand follows a similar direct-to-consumer model as Warby Parker, which is where founders Jen Rubio and Steph Korey earned their stripes. You can pre-order the carry-on now, for delivery February 2016.
