It’s no coincidence that Apple announced its new watch during Fashion Week — after all the company has long positioned itself as more than a tech company, but a luxury brand, and has been steadily poaching a bevy of fashion-industry veterans to join its team, including the former CEO’s of Yves Saint Laurent and Burberry, as well as directors at Nike, Gap, and Levi’s.
Yet, the fashion community’s response has been … unimpressed. “Kind of dorky,”proclaimed model/muse/TV host Alexa Chung. “Generic,” groused InStyle’s Eric Wilson. “It’s definitely a step forward,” wrote New York Times critic Vanessa Friedman. “But can wearable tech rewrite the rules of our aesthetic expectations? Let's see. Can wearables ever truly become, um, wearable?
