Marketers Flock To Fashion Hackathons Ahead of February

Fashion and technology are increasingly intertwined at the bi-annual New York Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. So it may come as no surprise, that, as Racked points out, there will be not one, but two sponsored fashion hackathons this year, each separately organized by major media companies.

Hearst yesterday announced the creation of the first Hearst Fashion Hack. More than 150 developers will compete to create innovative fashion-focused apps and programs on API platforms with the chance of winning $10K and a mentorship from Hearst Digital Media. Their line-up of participating sponsors includes some of the more well-known names in both tech and fashion.

Meanwhile, across town CFDA and Condé Nast's Vogue are planning what the world's First Fashion Hackaton. Developers will be tasked to create an app with the most innovative ability based on the Council of Fashion Designers of America's mission of supporting the overall growth of American Fashion as a global industry. Foursquare founder, Dennis Crowley, will keynote prior to an award amounting to $20K in cash and services being handed out. Partners include:

“We’re constantly incorporating new technology to redefine the way readers interact with our brands and we’re always on the lookout for fresh talent,” Hearst Chief Technology Officer Phil Wiser said. “This event fosters innovation and big ideas—we’re expecting to be dazzled.”

For Hearst and Vogue, sponsorships like this are a great way to help brands and technology platforms become an engaging and collaborative part of the discussion on what comes next in fashion. #dealstag