Dubai: Imagine the buzz. It’s Dubai Fashion Week. The vibrant energy, the anticipation, the spotlight ready to unveil the next big thing. Then, the lights dim, and a model strides onto the runway, not just in any outfit, but in a transparent lab coat, revealing a Nothing phone gleaming from her pocket. This wasn't just a fashion statement; it was a glimpse into the future, where technology and apparel seamlessly merge.
On February 7, London-based tech company Nothing partnered with Beirut's fashion and design studio Emergency Room to showcase their latest creations at Dubai Fashion Week's second season. This wasn't just another runway show; it was a melding of minds, a fusion of fashion and tech, pushing the boundaries of both industries.
Un Nouveau Soleil, a dramatic emotional tune by the French music project M83, played in the background as models walked the ramp to feature the Nothing Labcoat and showcase Nothing’s latest flagship smartphone the Nothing Phone (2), and earphones.
The Nothing Labcoat, stole the show, with some prominent Arab social media influencers in the audience also wearing it.
A collaboration of this sort is a first for the brand in the Middle East, bringing together Emergency Room’s unique concept for design, which it holds in common with Nothing Technology.
"We are excited to bring technology and fashion together during this season of Dubai Fashion Week, with our Emergency Room collaboration. Both brands exude innovation and sustainability," said Tatiana Laudati, Nothing's Marketing Director.
As a technology brand, we are proud to have our apparel and tech showcased at Dubai Fashion Week, the leading fashion platform in the region.
“As a technology brand, we are proud to have our apparel and tech showcased at Dubai Fashion Week, the leading fashion platform in the region,” she added.
The Nothing Labcoat
Designed as practical workwear, the Nothing Labcoat is a uniform befitting both designers and engineers – the creators. Anybody that wants to make something new happen.
According to Akis Evangelidis, the Head of Marketing and Co-founder of Nothing, the Nothing Apparel line is conceptualised in collaboration with Teenage Engineering, a Swedish electronics manufacturer, “to create a quality-driven wardrobe that is designed to withstand the test of time”.
The 100 per cent nylon transparent ripstop lab coat is thigh long and has multiple pockets with zip closures. The YKK Natulon zippers are made from recycled materials including PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) bottles. Yarn used in the tape is made from 99 per cent post-consumer recycled material. At the waist, the lab coat is adjustable with a drawstring.
Evangelidis added: “The main inspiration behind the design stems from Nothing’s concept of design-forward hardware. It is an ode to the IBM factory floor from the 1970s as well, and Nothing believes that its apparel is workwear that consumers will want to wear when the work is done.”
Transparency is an element that stands out in the design.
“Transparency is the founding principle in Nothing’s design ethos. With our apparel lineup, we want to bring our love for transparency, evident in our technology products to the world of fashion. In its essence, the concept of using transparency brings Nothing technology design to a textile form.”
With our apparel lineup, we want to bring our love for transparency, evident in our technology products to the world of fashion.
Nothing Phone (2)
During the show, the models also showcased the unique design of Nothing’s flagship Phone (2), emphasising the Glyph Interface feature.
A cornerstone of Nothing’s design ideology, the Glyph Interface is a set of LED segments on the back of the Nothing Phone (2), providing essential information without having to look at the screen, thereby reducing overall screen time. Apart from calls and notifications, the Glyph Interface also serves as a visual countdown and progress tracker along with a volume checker and timer.
Collaboration with Emergency Room
The fashion collaboration with Emergency Room brings together the sustainability-focused initiatives of both brands. Nothing, a technology brand that focuses heavily on sustainable practices, has its products manufactured completely with environmentally friendly materials and processes. On the other hand, Emergency Room is a brand known for its unique upcycling process, where old clothes are reused and reworked into new innovative fashion pieces.
“This collection consists of three parts – the past, present, and the future. For the future, I wanted something really special that represents hope, and also the solutions that we need to get for the future…. I really wanted to get something new on the runway, something more technological. The partnership with Nothing was a really good idea – their phones, their earphones, and the apparel they have started designing are very practical. I wanted to show that in the future we need to find solutions – whether they are technological or crafts. We included all of Nothing’s products on the runway, but we merged them with the looks of the Emergency Room to show how solutions and balance lie in the two elements [of technology and old crafts].
For most models on the runway, this was the first time they were experiencing a union of technology with fashion. Brazilian model, Vitoria Sousa Amorim De Oliveria, who was the first to walk the ramp in the Nothing Labcoat with the phone, said: “It is fun to unite technology and fashion. It draws a whole new set of audience to the shows. It is also a unique approach to practical fashion,”
Atena Mohri, an Iranian model added: “It’s amazing that a technology brand thought of showcasing their product on a fashion runway.”
And, Nila Tayebi, another Iranian model said: “It’s cool that technological design can also be fashion. As a mode, when I dress fashionably, I like to have something unique – like a well-designed earphone can be a fashion accessory.”
