"The third annual CES Asia concluded, surpassing last year’s show in attendance and exhibit space, reinforcing the event as the premier showcase for the consumer technology industry in the Eastern Hemisphere."

On June 8, FashionEX, together with XNode and Takumi Innovators, discussed the new trends in Asia's fashion technology, with fans and entrepreneurs from the industry at CES Asia. We identified key issues, opportunities and challenges facing the industry. Topics cover the combination of fashion and technology, the new clothing materials, functional and conceptual focus and the development direction of online and offline retailor experiences.

How better can we combine fashion and technology? What are the different online and offline experiences in the fashion industry?

In U.S., the market is usually controlled by the big brands. But in China, e-commerce is more powerful and brands cannot rely on offline stores for survival. Online, more users will pay for a good brand. 25% of China's clothing brands have online channels, while taobao sellers are offered an opportunity of No.1 sales volume online in a short span of five years. There is enough to prove that the fusion of fashion and technology is quick, and can bring a huge economic effect. Offline, you may spend an afternoon trying ten or twenty clothes. But online, with new technology and new apps, you can try 100 or even 200 pieces of clothing in 30 minutes. In this process, consumers need not worry about the wrong style or size. Online shopping does take a bigger advantage." -- Johnson Huang

The users can get a richer, more timely, and more responsive experience online. -- Deborah Weinswig

Can technology like artificial intelligence really replace people? Or you still need real human to provide offline service.

We can combine online and offline services in a smart way, and artificial intelligence can enlarge the consumer experiences. Yet in the real life, artificial intelligence can not completely replace human services. There is a warm touch in human services, which can not be provided by artificial intelligence. In a shopping mall, we can apply new VR technology to the integrated services of the mall, thus giving consumers better offline experience. The amount of time we have is limited, so why can't we order a meal, take care of our pet, and shop for clothes all at one time? Why don't we have a one-stop platform that will allow us to live faster and faster? I think it should be a question of technological innovation like AI to help us achieving. -- Deborah Weinswig

"Every store is a platform, and every platform is eager to innovate for the better."

How do we present our products if we don't have an offline store? Is it enough to rely on robots or online gamification?

Although there are so many advantages in online stores, I still think that offline stores are indispensable in the fashion world. For products with straight forward contents, such as books, online is good. But for fashion shopping, current technologies online cannot reach the degree of consumer's satisfaction. Online data can not give the exact fabric feeling and fitting experience. There are also many noises in the online "buyers show" or "sellers show". Offline stores still have their values for fashion industry. --Ichiro Amimori

In terms of sustainable development, will technology lead fashion further?

Technology alone can make fashion industry go better in the long run. It is our mindset shift to make the fashion industry more sustainable. As entrepreneurs, we need to improve consumers' experience with the ever-changing technology and give them a better product. However, from the perspective of social responsibility, we should also think about what technology can be used to maintain the sustainable development of the industry. The change of consumer's and brand's mindsets is imminent, as textile/clothing industry is the world's second most polluting industry. --Ichiro Amimori

We are from a technical background, and developing the technology with fashion trends. A lot of new ideas in fashion are leading the progress of technology. And the development of technology on the other hand is driving fashion trends as well as changing the business and our society. --Ichiro Amimori

“CES Asia attracts market leaders from the entire tech ecosystem, from drones and fashion, to sports and cars, to VR and AR, to machine learning to connectivity and, of course, self-driving cars. The packed show floor was abuzz with ‘smarter everything’, reflecting an era where technology is changing our world for the better. If it was tech innovation in Asia, it was represented on the show floor and in our conference sessions here this week.” -- Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA