O2TODAY urban air mask
Why is this project worthy of an award?
We are helping solve one of the biggest problems facing humanity today – air pollution. Air pollution is the leading environmental health threat on the planet, killing over 7 million people per year. According to the World Health Organization, 9 out of 10 people globally are breathing air that is hazardous to their health. That’s where 02TODAY comes in, with a revolutionary respiratory protective mask that is effective, stylish, sustainable and doesn’t add to the world’s pollution. We wanted to create an air protection mask that didn’t add to the problem so we searched for the most environmentally friendly and sustainable material available. New Zealand Merino proved to deliver the highest quality scientific and environmental performance available anywhere in the world. Blending the best of science with the power of nature. Market studies in China, Korea and the US reveal that existing protection masks lack in three vitally important areas: trust, breathability and style. Why are we better? -Trust – we are backed by science -Breathability – we use Merino, the most breathable fibre currently on the market -Style – our stylish prints have been designed by world leading product and interior designer, Marcel Wanders Our efforts resulted in O2TODAY being the first to market with proprietary natural Merino filter technology sourced from purpose bred sheep living in the Southern Alps of NZ. But not happy with quality alone we went about changing the way people feel about wearing air pollution masks, by partnering with Marcel Wanders to bring fashion to the category and help users overcome the public stigma of wearing a protective mask. Fashion, nature and science working together to give the world a better solution to one of its most significant problems.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
-We are solving one of the world’s most significant problems without contributing more to it. -We searched the world for the best solution available and found one that exceeded all expectations – natural supply, from purpose bred Merino sheep, producing the world’s highest standard air filtration, with numerous benefits derived from the natural material. -We were focused on consumer barriers and introduced a stylish solution through our partnership with Marcel Wanders design. -We are giving back to those who are passionate about solving the world pollution problems. We proudly support 1% For The Planet – donating 1% of all sales to help organizations tackling air pollution. -We are delivering quality with superior performance – style with elegance – removing the barriers to entry and acceptance. -We have a global team resolving global issues - from Salt Lake City to New Zealand. -Our product delivers natural science superiority : o Anti-microbial and hypoallergenic o Superfine for a close, comfortable wear o Superior moisture management and odor control o Natural temperature control o Nature’s most powerful electrostatically charged fibre o 100% NZ MAPP certified Merino o Tested and proven to filter 97% of fine pollution particles with industry leading breathability -Our products are quality tested and approved – providing confidence the world over. o INSPEC International testing lab in the United Kingdom for adhering to required standards. o Nelson Laboratories for product and filter testing of bacterial and viral protection. -We’ve changed the category with the world’s most breathable urban air mask.
Who worked on the project?
Marcel Wanders - Co-Founder & Chief Designer Bruce Lorange - Co-Founder & CEO Derek Lockwood - Chief Marketing Strategist Dr. Saptarshi Chattopadhyay - Chief Material Science Advisor
View the project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFQLBU9EObU
PERRY ELLIS INTRODUCES ASK PERRY ELLIS AMAZON ALEXA SKILL
Company M Booth
Introduction Date September 28, 2017
Project Website https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ5Y-sYTmMg
Why is this project worthy of an award?
In a quickly evolving retail market, the Perry Ellis brand was losing relevance among millennial men. Research showed that the brand was viewed as outdated and lacked a distinctive brand personality. The Perry Ellis DNA, which is built on innovation, was not being realized by consumers, and the brand was losing market share. We needed to modernize the Perry Ellis brand and appeal to the young millennial male target. To ground ourselves, we conducted a survey on men’s dressing habits and found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of men wished there was a way to make getting dressed every day or for a special occasion easier. Based on our research, we knew that we had to intersect the target male shopper using an innovative technology that engages him, solves a problem and drives a seamless shopping experience. We turned to the latest trend in technology, Amazon Alexa, to create the “Ask Perry Ellis” Amazon Alexa skill, designed for guys who need help figuring out what to wear for the many events on their calendar. The voice-activated Skill supports the brand’s commitment to innovating through technology and generates a modern, frictionless shopping experience for every man by providing head-to-toe options that he can immediately shop. Whether his calendar calls for a first date, sporting event, or holiday party, guys can now simply use their voice to get valuable fashion assistance and avoid making a fashion faux pas by saying “Alexa, Ask Perry Ellis what I should wear to ...” nearly 200 programmed occasions. Alexa replies by offering an appropriate look, taking into account the venue, weather and dress code, and sends the selection to the user’s Alexa app and email where they can click through to PerryEllis.com to add items to their cart to purchase. The Skill quickly gained momentum. Perry Ellis International attributed their positive Q3 earnings of 3% revenue increase partially to the launch of Ask Perry Ellis and media coverage around the skill generated over 160 MM impressions.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
While the rest of the fashion world was talking about “See-Now, Buy-Now,” Perry Ellis took this concept to the next level and be a pioneer in breaking fashion rules by launching the first of its kind “Speak Now, Buy Now” activation to introduce the “Ask Perry Ellis” Amazon Alexa skill. To launch the offering in an exciting way and break through the clutter, Perry Ellis held an event true to its DNA of being forward-thinking, fresh and fun - the first-ever Alexa moderated fashion presentation. The event had an Apple-esque tech vibe and gave media and influencers a first-hand look at how the tool works and the chance to see the brand’s fall “new uniform” collection through the lens of occasion-based dressing. To build scale on the event and give customers a front row seat, we livestreamed the event on the Perry Ellis Facebook page. Copy surrounding the Facebook live encouraged customers to test the skill. Additionally, a paid media strategy was put into place to maximize eyes on the show.
Who worked on the project?
M Booth, Perry Ellis and Midnight Commercial.
View the project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ5Y-sYTmMg
Poshmark Stylist Match
Why is this project worthy of an award?
Poshmark, the largest social marketplace for fashion, introduced social styling to the e-commerce industry for the first time with the launch of Poshmark Stylist Match in November 2017. Poshmark Stylist Match is an innovative in-app social styling engine featuring a voice-enabled skill for Amazon Alexa that algorithmically connects shoppers with Poshmark's vibrant community of over four million sellers -- known as Seller Stylists -- to reimagine the way people discover fashion. With physical retail on the decline, the personal shopping experience in stores has almost disappeared, and online shopping has never delivered the personal service once associated with shopping in-store. Poshmark Stylist Match is worthy of this award because, by launching social styling, it is confronting a chasm in today’s shopping landscape, and reinfusing the retail experience with the personal touch, allowing shoppers to be styled in real-time by their community, all through a simple in-app user experience. While today’s e-commerce landscape lacks human connection, Poshmark harnesses the power of its community members, connecting people to people. What’s more, many retailers are currently making a huge push around “personalization” when it comes to the merchandise and overall shopping experience they offer their customers. Poshmark Stylist Match enables its network of Seller Stylists to deliver a shopping experience that’s dictated not only by algorithms and data but by human creativity. The result? Shoppers now make 150,000 style requests per month through the social styling engine, and Poshmark Stylist Match meets those demands by pairing shoppers with sellers that match their styling needs, generating 2 million stylist matches and 1.75 million styled listings per month. This is personal style at scale, something even premier retailers have not cracked. Featuring a voice-enabled skill for Amazon Alexa, Poshmark Stylist Match is as easy as shopping with a stylist in-store, from the comfort of one’s home or on the go. It’s user-friendly interface streamlines the entire process from beginning to end, even allowing shoppers to communicate with sellers one-on-one in real time. Ultimately, Poshmark Stylist Match is revolutionizing the way people shop by combining data and social interactions to create the next generation of retail.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
Before the rise of online retail, shoppers visited their favorite stores and worked directly with a seasoned stylist to discover merchandise that fits their style. With physical retail declining, this personalized shopping experience has nearly disappeared, and its replacement - online shopping - still lacks in delivering the one-on-one, human interaction and eye for detail once associated with shopping in-store. In a country where Amazon accounts for 43% of all online retail sales, the e-commerce giant still can’t crack social shopping and style. Poshmark’s Stylist Match accomplishes what Amazon can’t by deploying technology in the online retail space that enables social styling capabilities between community members. With Poshmark Stylist match, anyone can request to be styled for specific events, right from their phone. After selecting from one of nine types of occasions, Poshmark matches shoppers with several top Seller Stylists, who send curated outfits for a variety of occasions such as “Casual Weekend” or “Girls’ Night Out” directly to their virtual Posh Dressing Room within the app. Shoppers can execute this by simply saying “Alexa, ask Poshmark to style me”. After prompting the shopper to specify their occasion, Alexa will connect the shopper with as many as seven stylists through people-matching architecture; customized outfits are curated in minutes; Alexa then lets the shopper know that fashion is ready for their review. The Alexa integration drives user engagement by making shopping and styling easy and convenient. Most notably, the integration differentiates Poshmark Stylist Match as the only voice-enabled social styling tool that is simultaneously leveraging the power of its community to scale style and help millions of people grow their fashion businesses.
Who worked on the project?
Jenni Kim, Director of Product Management Sathya Sundaram, Senior Manager, Cloud Platform Engineering Tung Dao, Software Engineer Sharad Unni, Senior Android Engineering Yangfan Qi, iOS Engineer Walid Arghandewal, Web Engineer Chau Le, Director, QA Kate Franco, Senior Director of Product Marketing Courtney Chan, Senior Product Marketing Manager Marie West, Manager, Design Shirin Deshpande, Data Analyst Lead Mahesh Pasupuleti, Director, Data Engineering Adiel Neusemeyer, Director, Ambassador Management Chau Nguyen, Community Manager
View the project video: https://www.facebook.com/Poshmark/videos/1995062774147784/
PreHeels blister prevention spray
Why is this project worthy of an award?
PreHeels is a revolutionary skin protectant spray that dries quickly on skin to block the friction and rubbing that causes most blisters, hotspots and irritation from all types of shoes. We created a new product category when we set out to create an innovative solution that actually works for preventing blisters from shoes that rub your feet the wrong way. We spent three years doing research and development with several different labs to invent this hypoallergenic, dermatologist-approved formulation. We also conducted several independent clinical trials for safety and efficacy (on human volunteers, never tested on animals). The product goes on clear to work for all skin tones and shoe styles (unlike bandages), plus, it dries on skin quickly, so it stays in place and won’t rub off on your shoes (unlike wax sticks). We sold more than $3 million in our first year, won the 2017 Cosmoprof Beauty ID Awards** for product & design innovation and received features as a beauty & fashion necessity from most major magazines, digital outlets & tv shows. Some of our press features include Allure, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Vogue, Who What Wear, Byrdie, Martha Stewart Weddings, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, BuzzFeed, Women’s Health, US Weekly, WWD, The Huffington Post, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The View and more. Top celebrity stylists are fans of the product including Kate Young (clients: Selena Gomez, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman), Jeff Kim (clients: Ashley Graham, Taylor Hill, Zoe Kravitz, Michael B Jordan), Tara Swennen (clients: Kristen Stewart, Allison Janney, Kaley Cuoco, Julie Bowen) & Mariel Haenn (clients: Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Lily Collins, Hailee Steinfeld). We are starting to expand more in both the domestic and international markets and we have more products in development that we are excited to share soon. **The beauty expert panel at Cosmoprof determined our innovation to be worthy of a win for the Beauty ID Awards – based on design, formulation & packaging. Many new products in the cosmetic space are another take or a new ingredient added into something that already exists (a face serum, a lip conditioner, dry shampoo, etc.) - similar to adding a fresh coat of paint or a building a new shell around something we’ve already seen. PreHeels was created from scratch – as a labor of love from initial idea through creation and execution. Our small team is very supportive of new ideas, business models and innovation across all industries – and we can see that you embrace this as well. Let’s make this world a better place by taking risk to create something new and by INNOVATING.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
It was extremely difficult to perfect into a no compromise formulation ( after more than 200 test formulations and working with experts in polymer chemistry, coatings and aerosolized formulations across several labs ): A. Invisible. The product has to go on completely clear for optimal aesthetics. Why this was hard to achieve? Many formulas dry with a cloudy look, so it takes the right blend of compatible ingredients in order to get to a totally clear product. B. Dry. It had to quickly form a completely dry coating, so that it would stay put and not rub off on your shoes, yet be completely smooth for wearability and to absorb friction. Why this was hard to achieve? Most anti-chafe formulas utilize small silicone beads or they’re initially very “slippery” but quickly rub off, making them ill-suited for a use case that has contact with shoes and that requires several hours of protection. We needed to create a dry coating that still had an extremely smooth, non-sticky, very low coefficient-of-friction surface. It had to be quick drying, in order to make it practical which is particularly difficult to do when you’re trying to deliver a thick coating, as most thicker polymer blends can take several minutes to go from sticky to dry. C. Strong. We needed a formula that could create a seriously strong, long-lasting barrier on the skin that could last all day or all-night. Why this was hard to achieve? Most polymer blends cracked or wore off quickly. Finding one strong enough that also maintained all other qualities we list here was one of the toughest (and most central) goals of our multi-year R&D effort. D. Flexible. While it had to be really strong, it also had to be highly flexible and breathable so that the formula could move with your skin as it flexes and stretches. Why this was hard to achieve? Most coatings that provide a strong barrier are too hard, meaning they would quickly crack and peels off as the skin on your feet shifted and flexed as you move around. E. Washable. As a further formulation challenge, we wanted the formula to be easily washable with soap, water and light scrubbing, and yet fully sweat and moisture resistant. Why this was hard to achieve? Most coating formulations would either be very harsh and difficult to remove without a separate removal agent (like nail polish or super glue), or so water sensitive that it would quickly come off with a little moisture. F. Sprayable. We needed a delivery system that could enable easy application to the hard-to-reach parts of your foot, and one that would allow full coverage conforming to the unique shape of your foot. Why this was hard to achieve? After experimenting with a number of different application methods, we realized that only a propellant-based (aerosolized) formula made full coverage easy and user-friendly. This further constrained the types of formulas we were able to consider, as each experimental blend now also had to be fully atomizable.
Who worked on the project?
Adam Kolom, co-founder & CEO Dana Ward, co-founder & SVP Brand
View the project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgAXiSojgtI&t=
Project F.L.X. by Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.)
Company Levi Strauss & Co.
Introduction Date February 27, 2018
Project Website http://www.levistrauss.com/unzipped-blog/2018/02/27/project-f-l-x-redefines-future-jeans-designed-made-sold/
Why is this project worthy of an award?
Apparel companies have long sought to address two predominant challenges: how to efficiently deliver high-quality, durable products to consumers, while making the manufacturing process more sustainable. For decades, denim finishing – which creates worn, faded design elements on jeans – has been a highly manual, labor-intensive and chemical-reliant process. To address this, Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) embarked on a mission to find an alternative to potassium permanganate — a chemical used to finish jeans today. In turning to lasers to solve this problem, the company achieved transformational benefits beyond sustainability at an industry scale. The final product was the creation of a digital, end-to-end process called Project F.L.X. that will shape the future of how jeans are designed, made and sold. This radical breakthrough is the future of jeans manufacturing, and LS&Co. is well positioned to lead the way. By using laser technology in new ways — and rearranging the traditional operating model — LS&Co. can finish jeans later in the process and dramatically reduce time to market, without compromising quality, authenticity, or our commitment to sustainability. Project F.L.X. enables the elimination of lengthy, labor-intensive processes and reduces chemical finishing formulations from thousands to dozens. The long go-to-market timelines of the apparel industry often make it difficult to have the right products available at the right time. But with Project F.L.X., LS&Co. is able to delay final product decisions until later in the process, drastically cutting down on time and materials, ultimately ushering in a new digital era for the decades-old process of denim finishing and resulting in the creation of a supply chain that is both responsive and sustainable. With Project F.L.X., LS&Co. can cut the finish design and development time from eight weeks to two weeks, or even less in some instances. Specifically, Project F.L.X. can: • Replace manual techniques and automate the time-consuming, labor-intensive and chemical-reliant process of hand-finishing – cutting the finishing time from a couple pairs per hour to 90 seconds per garment, followed by a final wash. • Create “photo-real” finished garments in a digital environment, enabled by advanced imaging technology developed in-house, cutting design and development time from sometimes months or weeks, to as short as a few days. • Take advantage of on-demand and even hyper-local production, thanks to the ability to delay final product commitments until much later in the process – allowing LS&Co. to reduce its lead times by more than six months to as fast as weeks or even days. • Reduce the total number of chemical formulations used in its finishing process from thousands to a few dozen. This includes eliminating the use of potassium permanganate – a chemical oxidizer long used by the industry to achieve popular, worn-in looks. LS&Co. has already began piloting this new system with some of its strategic vendors and key retail partners, and will be phased over time with the goal of being full scaled in 2020.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
LS&Co. believes it is possible to make iconic apparel with authenticity, agility and sustainability at the forefront — all while protecting the quality craftsmanship consumers know and love. Project F.L.X. is the biggest example of those values in action to date and will define the future of denim. To bring this to life, LS&Co. developed the overall operating model, in-house capabilities and proprietary IP, and then worked with its longtime tech partner, Jeanologia, to evolve the laser technology. Project F.L.X. brings a unique approach to the denim industry by ushering in the digital era of denim finishing that will reshape the future of denim design and manufacturing. While Project F.L.X. eliminates the lengthy and labor-intensive finish design and development process it also unlocks the ability to better respond to market trends and demands by accurately making what the market needs. Project F.L.X. is a step forward in LS&Co.’s commitment to achieving zero discharge of hazardous chemicals by 2020. This means that Project F.L.X. introduces a new era of in-market production, with garments that can be finished closer to point of sale. Further, LS&Co.’s retail partners stand to benefit significantly by being able to customize their orders to the unique needs of the consumer, transforming the model from “sell what you make” to “make what you sell.” This will create additional value to the consumer by helping LS&Co. continue to lead trends, provide choice and never be out of stock. Overall, LS&Co. is providing the same great, authentic product, but with even better service. It’s a unique and innovative approach to a decades-old denim dilemma.
Who worked on the project?
Liz O’Neill, Senior Vice President & Chief Supply Chain Officer (LS&Co.) Bart Sights, Vice President, Technical Innovation (LS&Co.) David Love, Executive Vice President & President of Levi Strauss Asia, Middle East & Africa (LS&Co.) Jeff Zens, Senior Director, Global Supply Chain Strategy & Operations (LS&Co.) Anne Madison, Senior Vice President, Product Development & Sourcing (LS&Co.) Karyn Hillman, Senior Vice President, Chief Product Officer (LS&Co.) Moises Sosa, Senior Director, Sourcing & Supplier Management (LS&Co.) Enrique Silla, CEO (Jeanologia)
View the project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=SMDlbNpE6dU