David Lauren, the son of American sportswear giant and lifelong New Yorker, talks to Haute Living about his passion project — the PoloTech Shirt. Fitness and sports are key tenants of Ralph Lauren‘s DNA. They sponsor events like the US Open and created uniforms for the Olympics in Vancouver 2010, London 2012 and Sochi 2014. This state-of-the-art shirt takes technology and style to the next level with a wearable body monitoring system which records heart rate, breathing depth, energy output, stress levels, calories burned and steps taken. The compression shirt with “second skin” fabric is set to launch at the beginning of the year, giving the health bands and bracelets a run for its money with this intuitive garment. Information streams directly to the IPhone, IWatch or IPod Touch through an app which also adjusts the adaptive video for a personalized work out. The future is here, and Ralph Lauren is on the cusp of technology merging with fashion and fitness.
Why did Ralph Lauren develop PoloTech now?
Wearable technology is a big trend, and a lot of people have been trying to figure out how to take it from band or bracelet to clothing. We thought it’d be cool to make a shirt that can monitor your body measurements. What makes this unique is that it gives you the most accurate reading of your biometrics and breathing stress levels. The shirt has microfibers with tiny sensors that are woven into the fabric and transmits information directly to a Bluetooth-connected smartphone. It also comes with an accelerometer that is sports-specific and has great applications for skiing, playing tennis and other sports. There are many apps that can be used in tandem with the shirt, which measure breathing, heart rate and work with the body’s algorithms. It will give you the knowledge you can use to lead a better life and approaches wellness in a comprehensive way.
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