Connected t-shirts unveiled at Art Basel and now head to NRF 24 trade show in New York

Avery Dennison has partnered with NRVLD, a community-based experiential agency, to launch a connected t-shirt. Capable of hosting ‘contact me’ functionality and augmented reality (AR), the smart t-shirt was unveiled at the recent Art Basel show in Miami Beach, US, and is now heading to the NRF 24 big retail show, running 14-16 January in New York.

The 30 limited edition garments were worn by the NRVLD executive team during the Art Basel happening in Miami Beach last month and were digitally connected via heat transfers featuring a QR code and image recognition technology.

Visitors could also access the digital t-shirts to be transported to an immersive artwork metaverse experience, built by ARkivist.

Each garment was personalised with the NRVLD wearer's contact details embedded in an NFC woven patch on the chest. This provided a connection point for guests throughout the event.

The smart t-shirt experiences are powered by Avery Dennison’s atma.io connected cloud product, which utilises blockchain technology for identification purposes.

The innovation is now heading to the national retail federation (NRF) 24 big retail show starting next week at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City on 14th-16th January.

The connected T-shirts will feature at NRF’24 alongside a host of apparel digital solutions for supply chain visibility, product tracking, and consumer engagement purposes.

Commenting on the innovation, Michael Colarossi, Vice President of Apparel Innovation, product line management and sustainability at Avery Dennison, said: “The trajectory of consumer experiences unmistakably leans towards digital, and brands are actively seeking innovative methods to engage consumers by merging traditional craftsmanship with digital creativity.”

“In this scenario, AR acted as the conduit, and Avery Dennison's connected garment technology and on-garment Embelex branding turned that vision into a tangible reality."

Pavan Bahl, founder of Bellwether Culture and co-founder of NRVLD, said: "In the Web3 sphere, blockchain technology enables ownership of digital goods and identity.”

“Our collaboration with Avery Dennison showcases the potential of successfully bridging this gap, illustrating the exciting possibilities in this space."