DCU spin-out company, Style-Eyes, has won the Enterprise Ireland ‘One to Watch’ Award 2013 for developing first-of-its-kind technology – a smartphone, tablet and computer application which uses image recognition technology to make fashion more accessible. This app was developed by researchers Dr Mark Hughes and Bobby Pringle at CLARITY, the centre for Sensor Web Technologies Research in DCU and has jumped leaps and bounds since they first received their phase one proof of concept project funding
 
The powerful technology enables the fashion we see on the street, in a magazine or newspaper, on a website or even on Facebook or Twitter to effectively become a QR code linking the user to the retailer’s site for the product. This app allows the user to take a photo of a fashion item they desire, it then searches through a global retailer database to find out where you can buy the product. The user can then go directly to the retailer’s website and purchase the item. The app will also display a host of other similar alternatives that the user may be interested in.

Style-Eyes were presented with their award by Minister for Research and Innovation, Sean Sherlock at Enterprise Ireland’s Open Day for Researchers in July. Mark Hughes and Bobby Pringle have perfectly demonstrated how the transformation of research to commercial products and services is very possible for researchers. They discovered a gap in the market and developed Style-Eyes to address that gap.

The app has got a lot of media attention; Darren Kennedy, presenter of ITV’s This Morning ‘Style Squad’ has said “I am really looking forward to Style Eyes being rolled out. Today with fashion, be it on the street, in a magazine, wherever, you just want to know where it’s from. If I have a device that will allow me to quite simply take a picture of a garment and then it will automatically not only tell me where it’s from, how much it costs, but as well give me alternative options, then that’s going to make me buy”.

We can see a bright future ahead for Mark and Bobby with Style-Eyes- this new, exciting app is sure to be a must–have for every fashionista. Style Eyes will be released at Dublin Fashion Week (5 - 8September) in conjunction with Samsung.