Latifah Abbott:

Vanessa Bruce:

About Me+You.

We understand the meaning of function and how clothing is meant to work with our bodies, not just sit on top of them. When we think of clothing, we usually just think of it as something we wear to provide coverage, convey our sense of style and protect us from the environmental elements. But, the future of clothing as we know it is about to change in a big way, and smart textiles are paving the way for this change.

 

Smart textiles can be broken into two different categories: Aesthetic and Performance Enhancing. Aesthetic examples include everything from fabrics that light up to fabrics that can change color. Some of these fabrics gather energy from the environment by harnessing vibrations, sound or heat, reacting to this input. Then there are performance enhancing smart textiles, which will have a huge impact on the athletic, extreme sports and military industries. There are fabrics that help regulate body temperature, reduce wind resistance and control muscle vibration – all of which help improve athletic performance.