Wi-Fi onesies and LED dresses are unlikely to catch on but in a world of smart phones and progressive technology it would seem only natural that clothing and fabrics evolve to cater to the complexities of modern life. ISAORA, an advanced performance wear brand, is positioned on the forefront of innovative design. Founded by Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry this New York based minimalist brand began selling expertly constructed pieces in 2009, direct to the public, with the aim of creating sophisticated clothing which uses ‘invisible technology’ to improve quality of life. Trends come and go but technology evolves and ISAORA believe that performance, style and quality can sit comfortably together without compromise and that in fact they work to complement each other and to provide the wearer with stylish and purposeful clothing.
Describe the ISAORA man?
The ISAORA man is a forward thinking, design conscious, active, urban individual with a taste for adventure.
Do the two of you ever have conflicting ideas and if so how do you resolve them?
Surprisingly not often. Our roles and responsibilities are quite separate and there is an implicit trust in what each of us does. Our overall vision for the brand is something we are quite clear on and so we usually find our ideas are aligned. When they are not a round of rock, paper, scissors, is an effective decider.
The brand prides itself on the trifecta of performance, style and quality can any of the three exist without the others?
These are the hallmarks of ISAORA and everything we do embodies these values. Performance, style, and quality are the inherent characteristics of an ISAORA product. Of course everything is relative and the performance requirements of a rain jacket are different than a tshirt, so sometimes the emphasis changes but taken as a whole these values are what defines ISAORA.
The composition and visual effects in the ISAORA Rainwear video depict the primary use and functionality of the collection, how involved were you in the overall concept for the video?
Intimately involved. We knew we wanted to show the functionality of the product in the context for which it was designed in a highly stylized way…and there’s just something awesome about water bouncing off a jacket in high definition slow motion! Beyond that initial idea it was a collaborative process of working with the right people to bring it to life.
You sell your clothes directly to the customer without any third party interference, what has the general reaction to this process been?
So far fantastic. We pride ourselves on being a forward thinking company yet we realized we were operating on a traditional and outdated distribution model. The benefits of “direct to consumer” are multiple; not only are we able to lower our costs and pass that onto the consumer, we are now better able communicate our vision. Now that all our focus is on this we are finding we have a much higher level of engagement with the people who matter the most. It’s a win/win and the reaction is very encouraging.
ISAORA is on the cutting edge of advanced sportswear, what is your hope for the future of technology within the fashion world?
I think we’ve barely scratched the surface. There’s obviously a lot of talk about wearable tech at the moment…most of which is not going to stick because frankly it looks ridiculous. But when we talk about technology as it relates to clothing that doesn’t have to mean incorporating meaningless gadgets into clothes. I’m excited about the future of “smart” fabrics. Most of the technological advances are happening on a material level which is really invisible but can be truly beneficial to the wearer. That idea of invisible technology is fascinating and reminds me of the quote “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. That’s where I think we’re going with this, technology isn’t going to change the way clothes look so much as the way they perform.
The ISAORA 8 point logo looks like a symbol for innovation and forward thinking design, what direction is the brand heading in next?
Our goal is for ISAORA to be synonymous with a modern, active, urban lifestyle. We believe every aspect of your daily experience can be an extension of personal style and not an exception. Performance and style for daily living. No compromise. That’s where we’re headed.
