The 2020 Fashion/Tech Hackathon, hosted by the Kent State University Fashion School, will take place January 24-26. Now in its seventh year, the Hackathon is a cross-curricular event allowing teams of student participants to create and innovate within the realm of wearable technology. It is presented in partnership with the Fashion School’s TechStyleLAB, Kent State's Design Innovation, and the university’s LaunchNET entrepreneurial initiative and the Kent State computer science student organization, HacKSU. Learn how to get involved as a participant or sponsor.
Last year, the event attracted over 130 attendees representing students from over 35 institutions in the United States and Canada, and 25 different academic majors – many of which were first-time hackers.
Throughout the event, teams of two to five students spend 36 hours developing a project of their choice in the form of a technology-enhanced garment or wearable-responsive web application. The entire project must be created during the 36-hour allotted time.
Last year, students completed 30 projects to submit for judging. Award categories included Most Visually/Aesthetically Compelling, Best Implementation/Creation of Wearable Tech to Solve a Problem, Best Concept that Addresses User/Customer Experience and Most Market/Venture Potential.
The Hackathon takes place at Rockwell Hall (515 Hilltop Drive, Kent, Ohio) and the adjacent Center for Architecture and Environmental Design (132 S. Lincoln St). The event is free for participants (undergraduate and graduate students), who also get meals, lodging, and “swag” from the event sponsors. Stress-free breaks throughout the weekend are also provided, which include trips to the KSU Rec Center and KSU Fashion Museum. The public is also invited to the (free) project expo and awards ceremony, beginning at 10 a.m. on Sunday, January 26 in the Center for Architecture and Envirionmental Design. Learn more about the 2020 Fashion/Tech Hackathon.
Register to participate in the 2020 Fashion/Tech Hackathon
Sign up to be a 2020 Fashion/Tech Hackathon Mentor
Watch this video from last year's Hackathon: