Fashion And Tech Intersect At The AfroTech Conference In Austin, Texas
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Cassell Ferere originally for Forbes.com
This year from November 13 to 17, Brands like Nike, Gap Inc., and Nordstrom, which houses a gamut of fashion name brands, to name a few, came to AfroTech and set out on the next generation of their business operations. 3M, the tech-materials brand which has offered the fashion world a lending hand in the creation process, also sought out the city of Austin, Texas, for relevance in the modern tech world. Aurora James, the founder, and designer of shoe brand Brother Vellies was invited to a panel to discuss accountability among corporations, flexing her Fifteen Percent Pledge program for companies to promote Black and POC fashion and beauty brands as they do others.
All the guests at the AfroTech conference come as they are, dressed in traditional white-collar office wear. Other tech enthusiasts and career-centric individuals wore modern looks, sporting Jordan brand sneakers, Fear Of God Essentials, or a mashup of the many HBCU relics, school pride with trendy garments to complement.
Fashion is a form of expression, and in this setting, the tech world is showing its range and evolution from dark rooms full of servers and ambient screen light to outdoor benches and cafes where work gets done while inspiration happens around you.
Fashion was at the forefront of AfroTech, undoubtedly. Founder and CEO of Blavity Inc., and the six-year-old tech conference - since 2016 - Morgan DeBaun, displayed the relationship between tech and fashion perfectly. As a metaverse avatar, DeBaun got dressed and found her way to a VR version of the conference at an empty venue, seen on the large stage screens at the Austin Convention Center.
With a bit of fun banter from her voice heard throughout the convention center and avatar on screen, DeBaun would ultimately ascend to the stage from a backstage staircase. She wore a similar outfit to her avatar, greeted the audience, then encouraged the audience to walk across the room to introduce themselves to one another.
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