Fashion is waking up to consumer technology in all sorts of ways — including as design inspiration for a new line of sleepwear.
Lucid Dream by LaQuan Smith and Samsung takes its cues from the Galaxy Ring, the designer told WWD. Four pieces comprising two looks — one for men, the other for women — are slated to debut as part of Smith’s spring 2025 collection at New York Fashion Week on Sept. 9.
An advance copy of the announcement, viewed by WWD, explained that “the looks carry forward the sleepwear as daywear trend in a way only LaQuan could conceive it with day-to-night options that echo Galaxy Ring’s 24/7 wearable design.”
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Samsung’s entry into the smart ring market introduced the world to a premium device that tracks fitness, health, energy and other wellness metrics. This includes sleep insights, making it a natural fit for a sleepwear collab.
“For me, sleeping and restoration are a huge part of how I’m able to be creative, to come into the office and think things through, and really be able to come up and conceptualize my designs,” said Smith.
“This is all driven and tracked through the ring, and being able to promote better health, better sleep, I think for me, it’s just about raising awareness. The idea of sleeping is a luxury, and what we do here at LaQuan Smith is all about luxury and glamour — and being, feeling and looking unapologetically sexy.”
Although the public has only had access to the ring since July, Smith has been wearing it for months, alongside other Galaxy gadgets. In fact, those technologies also worked their way into Smith’s fashion workflow. Samsung helped train him on features and how to optimize his design work or research using particular capabilities.
He used the Galaxy Z Fold6 smartphone to check his ring data, its S Pen to sketch concepts and Circle to Search to dig up info on inspirations, all of which are powered by Samsung’s Galaxy AI, he said.
“As a creative, as a designer, it’s really interesting how I’m able to utilize these technology components and what I do from day to day … being able to sketch my designs,” said Smith.
The language translations have also proved especially helpful as he deals with partners and vendors in different regions. Folding phones can be a boon for that, since they can show translations on both sides to face each party. That may be one of his favorite features, particularly as he works to grow his brand’s global footprint, he said.
As for the overall collection, he described it as “a symbolization of balance and harmony, and it does sort of have this cutting edge of technology. The collection is super sensual, unapologetically feminine. The silhouettes and the fabrications are very graceful and have a lot of movement and fluidity. Just the element of animalistic glamour.”
The Samsung partnership isn’t Smith’s first. During NYFW in 2016, he and other designers participated in fashion shows at Samsung 837, the tech giant’s marketing, events and experience center in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.
But now, instead of bringing fashion to the consumer electronics arena, he’s pulling tech into the world of fashion.
“Being able to integrate all of these things together, it’s really beautiful,” he added. “And it’s really exciting to be able to come up with innovative ways to integrate fashion and glamour through spaces like technology.”
Lucid Dream will be available at retail after the runway show, and each piece will come with a QR code that offers a behind-the-scenes view of Smith’s Galaxy Ring experience and inspiration.
