When form meets function: Smart accessory startup wins inaugural QUT CEA fashion hackathon STEPHANIE PALMER-DERRIEN

This weekend, tech innovation clashed with cutting edge design, as a slew of aspiring fashion startup founders combined their creativity to compete at the inaugural Startup Weekend Fashion.

Run by Techstars and hosted by Queensland University of Technology‘s Creative Enterprise Australia, the event saw teams creating business ideas within 54 hours, before pitching them to a panel of judges.

It was intended to give competitors the chance to connect with potential investors, mentors and influencers, while also taking the opportunity to bounce ideas around and connect with like-minded collaborators.

The top prize went to Electra, headed up by founder Sarah Nelson. With a degree in multimedia design and a background as a software developer, Nelson realised she wanted to do something more creative, so launched a 3D-printed and laser-cut jewellery brand.

Now, she’s working on embedding technology into her designs.

Her team took home the top prize at Startup Weekend Fashion with tech-enabled jewellery, allowing the wearer to choose the colour they wanted their accessory to be. An app would also be able to automatically suggest a colour, depending on the user’s outfit.

“The fashion scene is an untouched market for innovation,” Nelson says. Read more

Stephanie Palmer-Derrien - SmartCompany - 19 November 2018