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Customer case
WEARSustain

Mapping and monitoring the European wearable ecosystem

WEAR Sustain is a network of pioneers who design, develop and produce wearable technology, e-textiles and smart textiles. These like-minded pioneers are driven by a shared passion to change the way the wearables industry is produced.

The WEAR Sustain digital platform, made possible by DataScouts, provides access to an ever-growing network and open knowledge base of like-minded pioneers, sharing best practices, technology trends and relevant news happening within the wearables and e-textile ecosystem.

INTERDISCIPLINARY AND CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION

WEAR Sustain was launched as an Horizon 2020 project "Wearable technologists Engage with Artists for Responsible Innovation" consisting of a partnership between imec, University of Creative Arts London, Queen Mary University of London, Berlin University of the Arts, Blumine, Digital Spaces Living Labs and DataScouts.

The project engaged 48 European teams in cross-disciplinary, cross-sector collaboration through the co-design and co-development of ethical, critical and aesthetic wearable technologies and smart textiles.

The team developed a framework of what the next generation of wearables, and e-textiles, could or should be. The resulting Sustainability Toolkit includes new approaches to designing, producing and manufacturing wearables. WEAR Sustain provides tools and business models to help entrepreneurs, stakeholders and citizens become more aware of the issues involved in making and using wearable technologies.

Here is a video of the WEAR Sustain-funded projects

WEARABLES ECOSYSTEM

Wearable technologies for the private consumer represent a nascent market that is expected to grow very rapidly. Their disruptive potential is demonstrated by the competition between established technology giants and start-ups. The development of the wearable market rests in particular on its ability to break down the barriers between creative industries and digital technology companies.

The WEAR Sustain directory provides an overview of the creative hubs, incubators and accelerators, investors and experts contributing to the wearable technology and e-textiles ecosystem. It identifies the 'What, Who, Where, When, Why and How' of wearables and e-textiles, in terms of sourcing, experimenting, designing, prototyping and new business models across Europe.

The WEAR Sustain knowledge base provides access to insights, technology trends, news and events, as well as innovations, research results, design models and adoption methods within the wearable technology and smart/e-textiles ecosystem.

Here is a video from the WEAR Sustain knowledge platform;

ECOSYSTEM MAPPING & MONITORING

By using DataScouts to map and monitor the emerging innovation ecosystem of wearable technology pioneers, WEAR Sustain was able to understand the connections between designers, academia, hubs and technology providers, uncover the top locations for wearable technologies in Europe, and show how wearables technologies spread across different fields (e.g. art, ICT, fashion, interaction design).

DataScouts enabled the project team to develop a systematic approach to measuring impact. This was possible by aggregating data from multiple data sources in combination with gathering information from the funded teams and their stakeholders. These valuable ecosystem insights enabled wearable technology stakeholders to work more closely together to achieve their shared vision of a more sustainable fashion and textile industry.

FUTURE CHALLENGES

The network of pioneers that WEAR Sustain supports invites wearable technology stakeholders to work more closely with designers and artists across Europe to directly address key critical, ethical, aesthetic and environmental issues in the research and development phases.

  •  establish local hubs and advocacy centres for sustainable and ethical wearable technologies across Europe
  • connecting and pushing the boundaries of the design and development of critical, ethical and aesthetic wearables
  • establish cross-border and cross-sector collaboration
  • Contribute to a structured dialogue through local and international networking events and symposia;
Build your own ecosystem!

When you see these benefits, you want to better understand the ecosystem you are part of. That’s where we can help you. DataScouts provides a platform in which you can create a business ecosystem map, monitor your value network, and be aware of what happens in your ecosystem, the trends in your sector, and the achievements of peers. The DataScouts platform combines public data, own private data, and extra content that is relevant to the specific use case. Without any problem, you can visualize tons of information in no time. Contact us and create your own ecosystem today!

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