Smiley teams up with AR innovator de-Kryptic

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 18, 2019

Smiley has a lot going for it on the youth front with its unmistakable icon appealing to new generations of young people as each decade goes by. The company is heavily targeting Gen Z at present and with that aim in mind, it has announced a new deal with US-based tech firm de-Kryptic.

It said that de-Kryptic will create a range of augmented reality apparel and accessories under the SmileyWorld brand. The range will launch at retail later this year and features “pioneering technology that brings clothing and accessories to life with 3D animations, rich sound effects, and the ability to create sharable content across all social platforms.”

It’s an interesting concept that gives a new dimension to the idea of wearable technology. de-Kryptic is no newcomer to fashion and already has a range of Rubik's Cube tees on sale.

The new A/R Smiley collection will feature tees, crewnecks, hoodies, backpacks, bags and collectible boxes for young adults and adults aged 16-29. And the seasonal graphics will get an AR remix through the Boosted Art App, which the company said “meets Gen Z’s demands for experiential and immersive wearable tech.”

Smiley Company CEO Nicolas Loufrani said: “This partnership couldn’t come at a better time, with CNN predicting that 2019 will be defined as a landmark era in the evolution of hyper-personalisation, with AR-driven personalisation trends targeting a range of new applications focused on health, finances, shopping and everything in between. 

“We think de-Kryptic tick a lot of these boxes as they fuse fashion industry know-how, with a unique understanding of tech and AR to create something to truly stand out in the market and in keeping with SmileyWorld’s digital legacy.”

The company said it increasingly wants to “leverage the latest available technology to continue to engage the iconic pop culture brand with a new generation of consumers.”

de-Kryptic is part of Virtual Threads Inc, and two of the parent firm’s other subsidiaries, upscale denim label SmugglersMoon and mid-market fashion retailer Heritage by America, have also signed Smiley license deals with the products under those agreement to launch at retail in early 2020.