Post by Olivia Lee

During a tour I gave for the The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology students, I decided to change things up. Instead of jumping straight into Exposed Layers, I shared something I've been fascinated by for years: 🛍️ the evolution of shopping. How we went from catalogues and mail orders.. to shopping malls.. e-commerce, social commerce, livestream shopping...AI.. and where I think we're heading next. Exposed Layers isn't just a shirt. It's my way of exploring that future. 🫠 A student asked me something that, surprisingly, no one had asked me before: "What problem are you actually trying to solve?" It's such a simple question. But it made me stop. because the honest answer isn't: to sell more t-shirts, or to even build a fashion brand. The truth is, I don't think the world needs more clothes. So if that's not the problem,.. what is? After reflecting on it, I realised I'm trying to solve something much bigger. I'm interested in reducing uncertainty and creating deeper relationships between people and the things they own. Every technology exists for a reason. 💫 AI sizing helps solve fit confidence. 💫 Virtual try-on helps solve visual confidence. 💫 Digital Product Passports help build trust, transparency, and authenticity. 💫 AR transforms products into interactive storytelling and experiences. 💫 The future Owner's Lounge explores how brands and customers can build an ongoing relationship instead of ending the conversation at checkout. Individually, each technology solves a different problem. Together, they ask a bigger question: What if products kept creating value long after you bought them? During the presentation, Hoiki Liu, our Sustainability Lead, shared how garments were once treasured. Clothes were repaired, cared for, and passed from one generation to the next. Today, fashion often feels disposable. That made me wonder. What if a garment could keep evolving? Not bc it's physically changing, but bc it keeps unlocking new stories, experiences, knowledge, and connections over time. Maybe that's one way we start valuing the things we now again. Maybe that’s the real experiment behind Exposed Layers: Not “How do we sell another T-shirt?” But “What happens after checkout?” Sometimes the most valuable questions aren't the ones you prepare for. They're the ones that make you rethink your own work! So thank you to the HKUST students for asking one that I'll probably keep thinking about for a long time. Thank you Coral Puig Garrigó Satendra Kumar Bajpai Zoha Khan #FutureOfRetail #RetailInnovation #FashionTech #ExposedLayers