Will.i.am: 'A Tech Company is the Fashion of Tomorrow'

OXFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom — Music artist will.i.am spoke about his experiments at the intersection of music, fashion and technology in a conversation with LVMH chief digital officer Ian Rogers earlier this month.

Speaking on stage at VOICES, BoF's new annual gathering for big thinkers, will.i.am described his incubator-like facility in Hollywood, where a cross-disciplinary team of software engineers, fashion designers and content makers are exploring how the rise of voice interfaces and artificial intelligence can be harnessed for future devices.

The wide-ranging conversation also saw will.i.am recall a meeting with François-Henri Pinault, in which he told the Kering chief executive: "Fashion should prepare for tomorrow because tomorrow is totally different. It's possible that a tech company is the fashion of tomorrow."

“Fashion doesn’t have technology,” he warned. “But they should build it, don’t collaborate. I’m a believer, and I believe in putting teams together. I like dot connectors, problem solvers, people who try to solve riddles.”

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VOICES is BoF's new annual gathering for big thinkers in partnership with QIC Global Real Estate.