In the mid- to late 2010s, fashion designers’ collaborations with wearable technology companies were thought to be key to growing this then-nascent industry. Fashion labels’ design expertise would help turn wearables into sleeker, more attactive devices, and their names would bring new customers to the segment. While many deals were announced at the time, they faded away to a large degree as few of the early partnerships ended up making a big splash.
Today, collaborations between fashion designers and smart wearables makers remain relatively infrequent, but they do continue to pop up occasionally, especially in the European luxury market. Examples include these three pairings revealed within the last year:
- Designer Samuel Ross and his studio SR_A partnered with wearables company Whoop in an agreement announced in January 2026. The two formed Whoop x SR_A, for which Ross serves as global creative director. He is spearheading a collaboration called Project Terrain that will see limited-edition drops of Whoop bands and performance apparel integrating Whoop’s technology through 2028. Whoop devices offer personalized coaching as well as metrics on recovery, sleep, training, blood presure, cardiovascular health, and other wellness areas.
- Diesel and its creative director Glenn Martens paired with health-tech company Ultrahuman for a smart ring, in a deal announced in December 2025. The ring delivers 24/7 data on sleep quality, calories burned, steps, heart rate, stress monitoring, caffeine intake, ovulation cycles, and other health metrics. It is lightweight and meant to be worn day and night, with silver and distressed black finishes available. The charging dock and USB-C cable that come with the ring feature Diesel’s red-and-white branding and logo. The ring remains available in Europe and the U.K. on Diesel’s and Ultrahuman’s websites, as well as through select retailers.
- Last March, Ray-Ban Meta, the smart glasses joint venture, paired with Parisian ready-to-wear and accessories label Coperni for a pair of glasses with a futuristic, minimalist design in black and grey, in keeping with the label’s vibe. The smart eyewear, in a limited edition of 3,000 units, offered voice assistance, video recording, and A.I. functionality, among other traits.
Designers are more apt to create accessories for smart wearables than get into the design of the devices themselves. In November 2025, for example, Issey Miyake and Apple paired for the iPhone Pocket. This was not a tech collaboration per se, but rather an accessory to hold an iPhone. The limited-edition 3D-knitted pouch came in colors including lemon, mandarin, purple, pink, peacock, sapphire, cinnamon, and black and was meant to hold an iPhone and other items that would normally go in a pocket. The product had a ribbed, tube-like shape that recalled Miyake’s “piece of cloth” apparel designs.
Luxury fashion labels are also active in other wearables categories, beyond the “smart” variety. Take headphones for example. In September of last year, Jacob & Co., the jewelry and watch company, paired with audio purveyor Loewe for a pair of luxury headphones that include functionality such as noise cancellation and acoustic engineering with fine gemstones, leather, and detailing that bring an element of luxe fashion to the partnership. Two designs, the Ice Diamond and the Noir Rainbow, are available, in very limited quantities and at a price point of 100,000 euros (about $117,000).
In case you missed it, RaugustReports’ coverage of the licensing trends spotted at Toy Fair has been posted. You can read the full summary here.
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