Diversity Meets Technology at New York Fashion Week w/ Anina Net

When the fashion and technology worlds combine, remarkable and advanced creations are made. But we need to encourage more women and minority groups to embrace technology. Anina Net, fashion model, blogger, and CEO of 360 Fashion Network is creating beautiful wearable technology while paving the way for diversity.

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Anina Net is an absolute inspiration. She approached major tech companies with her ideas to combine fashion and technology at an early age and has been guided, mentored, and educated along the way to making her dream happen.

Anina Net knew what value her thoughts and ideas could bring to the fashion industry. She believes in the power of amplification and wholeheartedly thanks Marcelo Moyano for being an advocate for her in a male-dominated industry. In the same vein, women in positions of power should always bring other women with them to the top - that’s the power of a mentor.

With the advances in fashion technology, companies are learning more about who their customers actually are, and in a lot of cases, the results are surprising them. Anina Net shares some insights into this side of the fashion industry.

Wearable technology is not solely about light-up clothes and self-heating jackets. Technology meeting fashion will also transform the home medical industry. Imagine a world where you’re not having to hide in your house wearing monitors and wires, but one where that’s all built into a cozy sweater you can head outside in.

Anina Net is advocating for more diversity in fashion technology. By elevating women and minorities, discussion and opinions that differ from others in the room lead to more creativity. That’s why we should be endeavoring in every aspect of our lives to create a more representation.

In This Episode:

  • Why you need to know your own value

  • How having a male advocate to amplify your voice can impact your career

  • How fashion technology is showing designers who their customers really are

  • How wearable technology can have a positive impact on home medical care

  • What fashion technology kits are bringing to the future of medical technology

  • Why we need to expose more minorities to technology to create diverse ideas and views

  • What happens when we have a more diverse panel

  • How a mentor should help lift you up

 

Quotes:

“I think as women, we don’t maybe all the time see how fabulous we are. I think women need to get some kahunas and be more bold!” (4:44)

“I decided that we needed more women in technology. I thought we needed more women to create technology. And how could I get women even interested in technology? Because through their upbringing, they have been trained to be technophobic. So I thought fashion is the right platform to attract women. Because women in fashion are powerful.” (31:09)

“We have to cleanse our minds and be conscious of our unconscious bias, to specifically go where we may feel uncomfortable or out of place.” (36:11)

“I just really tried to put together a useful event, that when you go in you had one way of thinking, and when you come out, you have solutions that you can implement into your business that can bring you forward into a more sustainable and inclusive and diverse world that we’re moving into.” (53:00)

Monica Phillips