Smart Mirrors: augmented, but not yet reality

Heim, Hilde ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2533-5953 (2023) Smart Mirrors: augmented, but not yet reality. In: Digital Fashion Innovations: advances in design, simulation, and industry. Textile Institute Professional Publications . CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp. 125-143. ISBN 9781032207292

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Abstract

Augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a key interactive technology, increasingly utilised in the fashion retail industry since the early 2010s. Examples of AR-enabled technologies include Smart Mirrors (SMs) and mobile apps that can apply filters to a scene or a person to simulate garment try-ons. Yet, despite the promise of more convenient fit capabilities and the potential to revolutionise the shopping experience, few SMs have been established in retail settings in the last decade. Consequently, the question arises as to why retailers have not acquired SMs, given the potential to increase customer satisfaction. Through secondary research of media reports and a qualitative interview with an SM operator, this research investigates the opportunities and challenges for fashion brands when adopting AR-enabled virtual try-on technologies. The study finds that despite the cases cited by the media, the technology has only become ubiquitous in the mobile market-with face rather than full body recognition. The fluid 3D rendering of real garments on real bodies is some time off. This research demonstrates the opposition to end-user systems, presenting complexity of installation-often without sufficiently skilled personnel. Importantly, retailers will require a team that has the combination of both fashion and technical know-how to manage new technologies effectively.