Tech Should Be More Human: Why Microsoft Has Partnered With Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Tech Should Be More Human: Why Microsoft Has Partnered With Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
ERIN MARY Doyle
By ERIN MARY Doyle



Technology has become a fashion accessory, a way to express your individuality through the tech products you wear and use everyday. For Mitch Wallis, Microsoft’s global product marketing manager for Surface, this is the biggest reason why Microsoft Surface is the official computing device sponsor of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA).

Wallis, who is in Sydney this week to celebrate Microsoft Surface partnership with MBFWA, told B&T that for him technology has to become more human. “In the tech industry we’ve been a culprit of impersonal products for many, many years. Think big 10 kilogram boxes of hardware and computers, it’s not the best experience. What’s ironic your phone and your PC is actually the most personal device you have- my Surface knows more about me than my parents do.

“I think whether its conscious or unconscious we pour so much of our lives into our technology- it carries our memories, it knows our secrets, it knows our bank account. It is absolutely a personal product. The tech industry doesn’t always make it seem like this should be a personal piece of hardware. So I guess, why can’t a piece of technology be as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside?”

Mitch Wallis

For Wallis and Surface team, the Surface represents a beautiful piece of technology which incorporates fashion elements within the hardware. The Surface Pro 4 Type Cover is covered in two-tone gray mélange Alcantara fabric from a Milan based company, similar to suede leather.

“It enables the product to be lighter, thinner and scratch resistant. But really at the end of the day it solves the biggest issue in the technology industry which is making tech personal again. If you hold a computer covered in beautiful fabric and in the colour of your choice, you will cherish that thing the same way you cherish your favourite handbag. That’s what technology is, it’s become a fashion accessory.

“We’re targeting a user who really believes in not only the craftsmanship angle of what it means to design products like this, but also the aesthetic angle. Fashion Week is a great place to continue the conversation and show why Surface is relevant in the design space, particularly to women who appreciate the more aesthetic value.”

To promote the partnership, Microsoft Surface has created a behind the scenes look into how Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia comes together:




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