The recent Evolution fashion show made me wonder how technology was being used in the field of design. There’s a buzz in the fashion industry and it’s called computational couture.As with most things these days, clothing designs are no longer restricted to a sketch pad and mannequin but can be created with the aid of 3D technology applications.Many designers and event organisers have realised that live streaming of what were previously exclusive events, helps them reach a much broader audience and major labels like Burberry are actually allowing orders to be placed from these runway shows.The excitement and mayhem behind the scenes of fashion shows has also been identified as a sales driver as it helps those considered to be lower-end consumers develop an emotional attachment with the designer and/or label. This makes the consumer feel these textiles are no longer unattainable thus the consumer base broadens.Technology is not only being used to create the designs we are seeing but in some cases incorporated into them. Seems like a strange idea, but to Montreal-based designers such as Ying Gao it has become a passion. Her designs incorporate lighting and other interactive elements that allow consumers to alter their experience, creating varied visual effects.Sites such as Marvelous Designer (www.marvelousdesigner.com/Marvelous) and BrowZWear (www.browzwear.com) are designed for those with a serious interest in design and require investment. These sites not only allow you to design but also produce the required pattern pieces needed to create the design outside of the cyber design space. You can also find these on YouTube.We’ve seen T-shirts that change colour when exposed to sunlight and bold glow-in-the-dark patterns only visible only when exposed to black light. We’ve seen eco-friendly textiles, but now technology is helping us to create designs and fabrics far beyond anything that we could have envisioned. Self-cleaning textiles that are initiated by exposure to the light and those that are able to measure pollution levels of the surrounding atmosphere communicate using light signals.For those who aren’t interested in becoming designers but would like to make use of technology to piece ensembles together or try out a new hair style before the actual cut, check out www.myvirtualmodel.com/index.html or www.marieclaire.com/hair-beauty/trends/virtual-hairstyle-makeovers.When you think about it, it makes sense; as technology evolves, so do the vehicles we drive, the security systems in our homes and our communications tools, so why not our clothing? Hang onto your hats, the next decade of fashion will be interesting.We’d love to know what topics you’d be interested in learning more about, so e-mail us at TechBuzz@btc.bm