South by Southwest (SXSW), an IT convention bringing together startups, investors, and venture capitalists from around the world, was held in Austin, Texas, from March 6th to 12th. Our editorial team visited SXSW, a city where events were held throughout the city and where it's said to predict the future of IT.

SXSW Interactive is part of the music event SXSW, which began in 1987. In 1994, the film and interactive section, "Film & Multimedia," was launched, and the multimedia section later became independent, changing its name to "Interactive." In recent years, the interactive section has been gaining attention, with this year's event expected to attract approximately 60,000 visitors from around the world. Thirteen companies from Japan also exhibited at the trade show.

SXSW offers nearly 200 sessions and events every day in a variety of styles. Using the dedicated mobile app, you can search by category or keyword of interest to schedule your visit. In addition to keynote speeches by industry luminaries starting at 2 p.m. every day, SXSW offers a variety of opportunities for business expansion, including a startup pitch contest, a trade show featuring companies from around the world, and mentoring sessions where young entrepreneurs can consult with experts and business leaders.

At first glance, SXSW may seem like an event exclusively for IT companies and startups, but the sessions featured numerous speakers from the fashion industry, including the head of a luxury brand's e-commerce division, a digital division representative from an apparel manufacturer, a director from a fashion web magazine, and a fashion-focused marketing agency. A wide range of opinions were exchanged on the future of fashion and technology. Our editorial team primarily attended fashion-related sessions, so we'd like to share our report.

What was striking was the change in how e-commerce fashion brands are viewed. Until around 2009, placing large, beautiful photos like those in fashion magazines on the homepage of an e-commerce site was considered the key to branding. However, while this approach helped to promote a brand's image, it didn't significantly contribute to conversions, such as online payments. Today's e-commerce sites tend to have a simple structure, and advice-based, community-based content that requires editing skills brings value to branding. There is no doubt that the future will see an era in which online branding will require even more creativity and editing skills.

In the second part, we will introduce wearable devices, which have been a hot topic since last year.

Continued on 2/2.