Fashion Wearable Technology Pitch Competition

Professor Dennita Sewell is a Global Sport Institute Seed Grant Recipient and creator of the Fashion Wearable Technology course co-taught with engineer Abhik Chowdhury. This course brings together teams made up of fashion and engineering students working collaboratively to innovate or create a wearable technology for athletes. Whether the athlete was seeking a cooling mechanism for their hockey uniform, or a runner wanted to feel safe when exercising outside at night, the students worked to create a solution. Along with concept creation, the class taught educational skills in pitching ideas, business planning, and working in teams.

As a final project, students create pitch videos and receive valuable feedback from industry professionals in the US and UK on Thursday, April 30th from 4:00p - 7:00p (PDT). A winning team will be announced on May 1st and receive a top prize of an all-expense paid trip to Portland, OR to pitch their concept at adidas HQ.

Meet the judges:

Edwin Martinez | As a part of adidas Strategic Partnerships, Edwin has embedded wearables into the adidas innovation pipeline, and has managed a portfolio of partners in the fields of media, gaming, and digital. He has a background in apparel product management and an education in advertising.

Rana Abu-Ghazala | With over 9 years of experience guiding visuals for legacy and startup fashion companies, Rana currently serves as Director of Creative at NYC-based menswear fashion-tech startup, Bombfell. Seasoned in creative direction and product development, Rana is looking forward to participating in the evolution of performance wear and sustainability in the industry.

Jeff Kunowski | As Associate Director of Innovation Programs for the Global Sport Institute, Jeff oversees the Global Sport Institute’s sport-related development and funding programs including the Global Sport Venture Development Program, Phoenix Rising Venture Challenge and the Global Sport Social Impact Challenge. He serves this role in a cross appointment with ASU Entrepreneurship + Innovation. Jeff is also a member of the ASU W.P. Carey Sports Business Advisory Board and the ASU MS Innovation and Venture Development Advisory Board.

Mili John Tharakan | Having developed, managed and launched smart textiles products (direct to consumer and B2B), in USA, UK and India, Mili's present work explores issues of democratizing technology to find new ways in which traditional textile narratives can shape the future of Smart textiles. Exploring and merging techniques and materials of traditional textiles with smart materials and technology to develop NeoCraft, a new genre of crafts for social change. She has a passion for traditional crafts and her desire to see its evolution in the digital age has kept challenging her towards creating artefacts that lie in the gap between 'craft' and 'gadgets'.

Dr. Troy McDaniels | Assistant professor in the polytechnic school and a past recipient of a GSI seed grant, with over 15 years of experience in wearables and haptics.

Read more about the Fashion Wearable Technology class here.

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