옷으로 결제하는 시대 온다…신용카드칩 내장 의상 등장

Published : Oct 28, 2015 - 09:44 Updated : Oct 28, 2015 - 09:44

몸에 착용하는 옷이나 액세서리가 신용카드를 대체할 수 있는 시대가 올 것 같다.

미 일간 뉴욕타임스(NYT)는 27일(현지시간) 디자이너 애덤 셀먼이 최근 신용카드회사인 마스터카드와 손잡고 신용카드 역할을 하는 의상을 선보였다고 전했다.

지난 26일 미국 라스베이거스에서 공개된 셀먼의 옷이나 액세서리 속에는 모바일 결제를 위한 작은 칩(chip)이 숨겨져 있다.

드레스의 소매, 장갑의 손등, 선글라스의 테두리 등에 이런 칩이 내장돼 있는 것이다.

눈에 띄지 않을 뿐 아니라, 의상이나 액세서리가 복고풍으로 디자인됐을 경우에는 최첨단이라는 느낌조차 주지 않는다.

의상을 입은 사람의 신용카드 정보가 들어있는 칩은 블루투스를 통해 스마트폰의 결제 애플리이션과 연결돼 있다.

물건을 샀을 때, 결제기 앞에 서서 칩이 있는 부분을 흔들기만 하면 결제가 이뤄지도록 고안됐다.

스마트폰을 이용한 애플페이나 안드로이드페이보다 한층 진화한 개념이다.

이런 옷을 싫어하는 사람도 있겠지만, 환영하는 사람들은 "적어도 물건을 살때마다 가방을 뒤져 지갑, 핸드폰, 신용카드를 꺼내야 하는 불편은 사라질 것 같다"는 반응을 보이고 있다고 이 신문은 전했다. (연합)

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Adam Selman, MasterCard turning clothes into payment devices

Call it payable fashion. You won't need a credit card to pay for your clothes; your clothes will BE your credit card.

MasterCard is pairing with fashion designer Adam Selman and others in a program aimed at making an array of consumer products double as mobile payment devices, including clothing but also automotive products and “yet to be imagined categories.”

“The idea is that virtually any device can be a commerce device,” said Sherri Haymond, group head of digital channels for MasterCard, in a telephone interview Tuesday. The program was unveiled Monday at the Money 20/20 conference in Las Vegas.

Selman works closely with pop star Rihanna and designed her famous, very sheer dress for the 2014 Council of Fashion Designers of America awards. How one would hide even a microchip in such a sheer garment is, of course, hard to imagine, but Selman was chosen, Haymond said, “because he is extremely innovative, really creative. When we met Adam, his vision and our vision really connected.”

Other partners set to be involved in the program: General Motors, wearable technology maker Nymi, jewelry company Ringly, and Bluetooth locator TrackR, according to MasterCard.

Haymond said the program uses existing technology and functionality that MasterCard has been working on for two years. “People can pay with what's most accessible to them,” she said.

In the past several years, a number of fashion designers have ventured into wearable technology, with everything from clothing that measures various health functions to accessories that charge devices.

As for Selman, he has produced a prototype of two dresses, gloves, sunglasses and a handbag, all imbedded with microchips for payment.

“Technology is vital to the fashion industry,” Selman said in a statement from MasterCard. “What sets the program apart is that it features the technology, while still remaining invisible, yet interactive and totally functional with the wearer.” (AP)