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CNN Sunday Morning

High-Tech Shoes Can Bring People Together

Aired April 22, 2001 - 10:25   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: When I was a younger man, and a single man, every now and again I might ask for a number...

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Really?

O'BRIEN: From a single lady.

PHILLIPS: Shy little you?

O'BRIEN: Oftentimes, I'd get a slap in reply. But this might be the solution.

PHILLIPS: CNN's Andrew Brown reports from Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Have you seen anyone out there paying close attention to people's shoes? Following them around and taking mysterious notes? They may not be as weird as you think.

More and more people now want to communicate with each other through their clothes. The fashion house Skim.com has devised conspicuous six digit codes that appear on the companies apparel as well as other brands. Each one is an e-mail address that has been registered in Skim's Web site.

This one would be 001956@skim.com, for instance. When you spot someone with a Skim outfit, you instantly know where to write to them. But, and this is the fun part, you have no idea who they are.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People don't really know your name at the beginning. I mean, for example, if you go on the street, people see your number, and they can actually go back home and the message or whatever to you through the number. And it's like a stranger.

BROWN (on camera): The great thing about this concept is if you're shy and you want to ask a girl out, all you have to do is look at her personalized number and send her an e-mail. It's the best way to setup a date and Skim guys are irresistible.

(voice-over): Last year, Zurich-based Skim achieved revenues of about $800,000 in Europe, it's main market. In the big Skim of things, that's not a lot. But the company is also building a presence in North America and in Asia at stores like this one in Hong Kong.

And even though it'll probably take awhile before interactive fashions take off, they may eventually change the way people look at clothes.

Andrew Brown, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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