Projects
Unveiling the World of Fashion Tech: ZOZO NEXT's Challenge at SXSW
Held in Texas, USA, in March 2022, the world-renowned tech festival "SXSW 2020" will see ZOZO NEXT, the division of the ZOZO Group responsible for innovation and R&D, participating in the SXSW Creative Industries Expo for the first time. Themed "UNVEIL THE FUTURE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY," this exhibit aims to unravel the future of fashion led by technology. What new experiences and values related to fashion will be introduced here?
A roundtable discussion was held with ZOZO NEXT representatives who led the SXSW exhibition project. We interviewed Kotarou Tajima, Yudai Tamamura, Satoshi Nakamaru, and Mie Kwon from ZOZO NEXT MATRIX about their expectations for this first overseas exhibition by the ZOZO Group, the concept behind the booth, and their thoughts. (Recorded on February 25, 2022)
PROFILE
Kotaro Tajima
After working in the semiconductor division at Sony Corporation, Tajima transferred to Sony Interactive Entertainment, where he developed new businesses using PlayStationⓇVR in Japan, Europe, and North America. He joined ZOZO Technologies in 2019, overseeing the development of smart textiles utilizing materials and devices, as well as managing the owned media on fashion tech. Since October 2021, he has served as the director of the MATRIX department, responsible for new technology development and commercialization.
PROFILE
Yudai Tamamura
After working on game-related video production and 3DCG in an IT mega-venture, Tamamura joined ZOZO Technologies in 2020. He promotes projects mainly in the virtual fashion field within the XR / AI team. He is also involved in CG production, using tools like Houdini and Unreal Engine as his main tools.
PROFILE
Satoshi Nakamaru
As a researcher and member of the MATRIX division at ZOZO Technologies, Nakamaru is responsible for new technology development and its commercialization. He holds a PhD in Policy and Media and specializes in developing soft functional materials and devices, as well as designing interactions and UX utilizing them. He has exhibited works at events like the Ars Electronica Festival and received awards such as the ACM DIS 2019 Best Paper.
PROFILE
Mie Kwon
After working at a production company, Kwon joined VASILY, Inc., responsible for designing and directing the fashion app IQON. Following company mergers and splits, she is now with ZOZO NEXT. She oversees the design of various internal products, including UX and UI design for apps and websites, as well as graphics.
Showcasing ZOZO NEXT's Efforts
What led to the decision to challenge SXSW?
TajimaOriginally, Nakamaru and I were conducting a research and development project on smart textiles with HOSOO Co., Ltd. and the University of Tokyo. We held a results exhibition in Kyoto from April to September last year, and it received a great response, leading to the decision to exhibit overseas. Among many overseas exhibitions, SXSW was proposed by our CEO, Kanayama. That was around October last year.
This article is for members only.
Please register to read the rest of the article.
What you can do with a membership
- Read members-only articles
and use text-to-speech. - Unlimited article favourites
and browsing history. - Attend members-only events.
- Get the latest information
with our email newsletter.
How was the article?
Share
Related Articles
.jpg?w=600&fm=webp&dpr=2)
