Michael Kors Is Giving Wearable Tech Some Style, With Help from Zendaya and Martha Hunt
The trio celebrated the designer’s new smart watch line during New York Fashion Week with names like Nina Agdal.
“This is a strange vacation for me,” said the designer Michael Kors on Sunday night in the midst of New York Fashion Week, which saw him at a celebration in his Soho store even though he’s in the “crush period” before his runway show on Wednesday.
But, he made time (pun intended) for the event – the launch of his new Access SmartWatch collection, his first foray into wearable tech. Made with Android, it’s essentially a stainless steel fashion take on the Apple Watch, as showcased in the campaign video with Zendaya and Martha Hunt, where they use the device’s navigation, texting, and fitness features throughout a day in their lives.
“I actually don’t work out, so that was the most I’ve worked out in the past year, and it was totally worth it. I was very proud of myself,” Zendaya said with a laugh, decked out from head to toe in a navy Kors ensemble, which she’d changed her watch background to match. (“The exercise part, no. But the fashion part!” she said of her favorite features.)
Zendaya, Martha Hunt, and Michael Kors Celebrate Wearable Tech in Style
Zendaya at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Cami Morrone and Martha Hunt at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Nina Agdal at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Harley Viera-Newton at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Michael Kors at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Martha Hunt, Michael Kors, and Zendaya at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Martha Hunt at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Michael Kors and Zendaya at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Soo Joo Park at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Martha Hunt, Michael Kors, Zendaya, Nina Agdal, and Soo Joo Park at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Hanneli Mustaparta at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Zendaya at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Michael Kors and Sofie Valkiers at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Yoyo Cao at the Michael Kors Access Smartwatch Launch Party at Michael Kors Soho during New York Fashion Week.
Hunt, whose gig as a Victoria’s Secret Angel doesn’t exactly make training an option, said “it really felt like it was a day in my life.” Still, she doesn’t rely on the watch’s fitness tracker too much either. “You can tell your calories you’ve burned, but I try not to pay too much attention to that stuff,” she said with a laugh.
The pair knew each other from Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” video and “some award show,” and evidently soon warmed up to Kors, too: “I love both of them. Talk about girls who are on the go, juggling a million things in the air, always looking great, and having fun with fashion,” the designer said.
In short, they were the perfect fit for his goal with the collection – ”to come up with something that people could personalize and put their own stamp on and that would look glamorous … but certainly if you’re busy like I am or my customers, it makes life easier,” he said. “We love what [technology] does for our lives, but we don’t always love how it looks.”
For his coterie of models though, it seems like that’s starting to change. “I just think it looks cool, so that’s my favorite feature,” said Nina Agdal, who arrived in a black leather dress (and sans date). “I honestly think that chunky men’s watches look so good on women,” Hunt added.
Meanwhile, guests like Soo Joo Park drank cocktails and mingled throughout the store, bobbing their heads to music by Harley Viera-Newton. While Agdal was easing back into things after a “detox day” the day before, Zendaya was happy to be “just chilling”: “I didn’t really partake in this Fashion Week, honestly, I came here for this,” she said, adding that she wasn’t going to any shows.
For Kors, though, it was back to the office to finish his collection – though it’s safe to say he has the accessories sorted.
