Shapeways

It was a year of innovation, ideas and promise. Here's how tech pushed the fashion industry forward in 2013:

The fashion and tech industries are more connected than ever. But for designers, it's still often unclear how they can tap into new technologies to make their businesses stronger. The CFDA wants to rectify that.

We imagine that Victoria's Secret, whose next fashion show will air on CBS on Dec. 10, doesn't have much trouble attracting geeks to tune in -- but this season, tech and design enthusiasts have another reason to watch.

Experimental designers like Kimberly Ovitz and Iris Van Herpen have embraced 3D-printing -- and now mainstream retailers are testing their consumer appeal.

3-D printing could have tremendous effects on the fashion industry. It has the potential to do great things for the industry: create shorter lead times for designers, offer the ability to produce things in smaller quantities, and create easy personalization. On the flip side, 3-D printing could render many jobs in the manufacturing industry obsolete, as well as present some tricky legal issues surrounding copyright.