Aptly named “Kenneth Cole Connect”, designer Kenneth Cole has taken a plunge in the newly hatched and very lucrative wearable technology market with a smart watch collection in collaboration with Geneva Watch Group.
“As a designer, I always try to give customers what they want but in a way that they don’t necessarily expect it,” states designer Kenneth Cole. “Wearable technology is one of the fastest growing fashion categories today and I am excited to be on the forefront of embracing this platform.”
Hitting store shelves this April, Kenneth Cole Connect™’s assortment of men’s and women’s smart watches was introduced in March at Baselworld, the international watch and jewelry trade show.
Highlights included a photo booth where visitors showed off their favorite Kenneth Cole Connect™ watch and shared photos in real time over social media. The activation gained 13,127 impressions in three days.
Kenneth Cole is leading the watch pack as one of the first fashion brands to enter the smart watch market, starting at $135. Featuring Bluetooth smart technology, Kenneth Cole Connect™ comes in 12 styles containing app-enabled functionality that lets users stay discreetly connected via alerts for incoming calls, texts and calendar events.
Buyers can control music on their smartphone remotely as well as take selfies longer than their arm. With the “selfie” trend growing rapidly, Kenneth Cole Connect™ allows wearers to control their smartphone’s camera and take pictures straight from their wrists.
Other features include a stopwatch, low battery phone alert, 3 ATM water resistance and “Don’t Leave Me Alerts” that inform wearers when they are losing Bluetooth connection, so they will never lose their phone again. Further differentiating itself from other smart watches, Kenneth Cole Connect™ operates on a normal watch battery, so no charger is necessary.
