Fashion and technology need to go hand in hand to be able to attract buyers in this market which is why the connection between the two  is getting stronger as manufacturers recognize that people want to not only wear something that works well, but looks good too.

According to a study by Endeavour Partners, one of world’s leading strategy firm in the US, more than half of the people who bought a health and fitness wearable had stopped wearing it, and a third of those had put it aside within the first six months of receiving it, unless, it appealed to their sense of fashion and beauty. As a result, fashion is an important consideration when designing a wearable but again, the design alone will fail to keep its buyers interested in the gadget for too long [Report Link here]

“What is required is the fusion of fashion into technology to impart widespread adoption of wearable technologies, especially if you are looking at making what is intended to be worn 24/7 or for longer periods of time” explains Krispian Lawrence, founder and CEO of Ducere Technology who launched LeChal-world’s first haptic based interactive footwear.

Fashion aspect of LeChal

The shoes by the company were created keeping this aspect in mind. The three elements of fashion, technology and comfort are equally important when designing a wearable tech gadget and LeChal is a reflection of that. Its features and applications are unique as is its design and comfort.

The developers of the product wanted their product to look good enough to be picked up from a shop window even before its usefulness came to the fore. USP of the product, its functionality and of course being a wearable product, its comfort for the wearable becomes important.

All gadgets in the wearable space usually follow this mantra to make their product sellable in the market. Since what we wear is personal, it is a reflection of who we are. Thus, the two have a clear interplay and wearable technology will sell only if they are also desirable.

Lechal [lay-chull, “Take me along” in Hindi] footwear is a disruptive innovation designed to smoothly integrate into the everyday.

Features of LeChal

Available as an insole or a shoe, Lechal footwear uses Bluetooth technology to connect to the user’s smartphone via the Lechal App. Using simple foot gestures or voice commands, the wearer can use it as a navigational tool or track their activity from a fitness perspective. The footwear communicates with the user via gentle vibratory responses or Haptic feedback.

In addition to taking you places, you can also tag favourite locations, share new routes, create group journeys – all with your footwear! It also tracks the number of steps taken, calories burnt & distance travelled, logs your fitness activity & charts your activity over time.

Intended user-base of LeChal

Lechal is for everyone – early adopters of wearables, people who like to travel and explore, fitness freaks, cyclists, runners, people who are tech-savvy and those who are not, back-seat drivers, design aficionados, the fashion-conscious, and the use cases are as varied as the users.

Launched in 2014, Lechal has received an overwhelmingly positive response, with over 50,000 pre-orders received to date from across the world. With distributors from over 65 countries showing interest in this one-of-a-kind product, Lechal footwear will also soon be available at retailers and e-tailers around the world.

Lechal footwear was initially conceived as a solution to help the visually-impaired navigate their worlds better. This genesis is what led to the Lechal Initiative, where the proceeds from the sale of each pair of Lechal footwear go towards subsidising a pair for someone who is visually-challenged.

Ducere Technologies has partnered with the world-renowned L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad to make this a reality.

A pair of Lechal insoles will cost between 100$ & 150$ and the shoes will be slightly more expensive. You can pre-order a pair of Lechal from here

For more information on Ducere Technologies and LeChal, please visit their website here & here. You can also find them on Facebook & Twitter

Image Courtesy – LeChal