Science, design & performance: Nike's new Zoom Alphafly NEXT% perfect for sprinters, marathoners

Science and sneakers seem to be quite the pair this year. Vans are taking things out of this world quite literally with a collection called Space Voyager, designed in tribute to NASA and 60 years of space exploration. The designs are said to be inspired by the original space suit, complete with patches and NASA branding as well as the trendy galaxy print.

(Image: www.vans.com)

3D printing has been described as a sort of new industrial revolution since art imitates life, it’s no surprise that this new method has taken the fashion world by storm. Many designers are using 3D printers in the creative process to produce items such as mesh, elements for garments such as buttons and rivets and there are even a number of brands making 3D accessories such as lapel pins and cufflinks.

Forget about just owning the latest fashion accessory in real life, you need to own it in the virtual world as well. Italian luxury fashion label Gucci is the exclusive provider of virtual luxury clothing and accessories to “dress up” your online avatar in Genies, a chat app where users create cartoon avatars of themselves. And they’ve roped in stylish financial backers such as Shawn Mendes and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. As part of Gucci’s sponsorship of the app, every time the words Rodeo Drive, luxury, Milan, gold or other fashion-related keywords are mentioned, an on-screen “shower” of Gucci-branded items will appear.

The fashion industry is already pretty cutthroat, with models fighting for the top spot. At a recent fashion show, it seems that many of the models were pushed off the ramp for something more in style: drones. At Milan Fashion Week, Dolce & Gabbana flew around seven drones down the runway, with each carrying a leather and jewel-encrusted handbag from the company’s latest collection. The drone display made for an eye catching opening but the show then moved on to human models. The drones were good but they didn’t have the right sashay down the ramp.

Apple introduced sneakers back in 1990s. Yes, the Apple. While the shoes, which were first made for Apple employees, never took off as well as their tech did, it looks like fashion giant Versace may revive them. Their head sneaker designer Salehe Bembury recently posted a photo of a chunky white sneaker with a rainbow logo, which resembles the iconic Apple emblem from the ’90s. The image was captioned: “A wise man once said nothing at all.” And true to his word, nothing more has been said about the revival of these sneakers.