Smart Textiles for Fashion, Entertainment and Lifestyle

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Smart Textiles for Fashion, Entertainment and Lifestyle

Following the launch of WTiN's report series on smart textiles for fashion, entertainment and lifestyle (FEL), technical textiles editor Fiona Haran will provide some further information on this sector through an interactive Q&A session.

Welcome everyone and thank you for
joining us for
lifestyle my name is Tom Armitage and I'm
the host and I'm the marketing executive
here at WTiN the retirement provides
specialist insight and data-driven
intelligence to businesses in the
textile apparel value chain enabling
them to make better decisions faster and
gain competitive advantage
today's webinar will will be presented
in a Q&A format, as opposed to the regular
presentation style. Today's webinar
presenter is Fiona Haran, Fiona is the
Editor of technical textiles here at the
WTiN in this role Fiona provides
up-to-date news on the latest
developments in the industry together
with insightful comments and opinions on
the wider issue affecting the market
just a couple of things before we get
started if you have any questions during
the presentation please type them into
the Q&A question box in your zoom
control panel questions are not visible
to the participants so of not being
interruption to your fellow attendees we
will do our best to respond to these at
the end and with that we will start
today's webinar
so Fiona please can start by telling us
what our smart textiles for fashion
entertainment and lifestyle thanks Tom
and so let's begin by defining what we
mean by fashion entertainment and
lifestyle and so fashion refers to
everyday fashion our hot Kircher
garments and fabrics accessories and
when determined is defined by wearable
devices for gaming augmented reality and
virtual reality experiences and
lifestyle is a textile based item here
that we're talking about aimed at
physically active people all those who
have say a specific lifestyle interest
such as Yogi's our outdoor lovers and
when it comes to fashion entertainment
and lifestyle our fel as it's
abbreviated to the visual novelty and
appeal of smart textiles has created a
lot of media interest and particularly
with regards to eye catching spared
costumes or happy gaming suits for
instance this focus on their appearance
often means that these textiles lack
comfort and flexibility are difficult to
wash and not very durable and this is
primarily because the high amount of
technological advancement advancement
that goes into them in terms of
materials methods used to create fabrics
and finishing methods based on this it's
also important to define smart textiles
for fel based on the categories of smart
textiles they belong to as many of you
will know there are three generations of
smart textiles so we have passive active
and very smart passive smart textiles
can sense the environment additive types
can send stimuli from the environment
and react to them using sensors and
actuators and very smart textiles go one
step further by adapting their behavior
to the circumstances through data
processing and forecasting and smart
textiles in the FEL
field are often placed in the second and
third categories so in an example of an
active smart textile could be a fabric
that has a pressure sensor and then when
under pressure it can send a signal to
an LED light to activate it while a very
smart textile could be a jacket that
contains a sensor that can sense
temperature and measure it the jacket
could even be equipped with the heating
module that could provide extra heat
when say the temperature drops below a
certain amount so those are the types of
smart textiles we generally associate
with the FEL field IQ Fiona
so next could you could you tell us who
are the key players in this market well
this is of course an increasingly
growing market and on a commercial level
some of the companies that automatically
spring to mind are cute circuit clothing
plus bebop sensors a IQ smart clothing
sentient textronics and well spun among
many others and just to pick up a few of
these to discuss am london-based cute
circuit specializes in bespoke wearable
fashion technology you may recall the
Twitter dress it designed for singer
Nicole Scherzinger which displayed
tweets in real time and another of its
most no not worthy developments is the
graphene dress this is the world's first
little black dress to incorporate
graphene substrates and enabled by 3d
printing it senses the breathing of the
wearer and illuminates parts of the
dress through transparent conductive
films in response to the captured bio
data
well people sense
specializes in soft and washable sensors
that are made of multi-layered inks
applied directly onto the fabric meaning
that sensors can be positioned anywhere
one of its products includes the far
tech data gloves for the gaming sector
using ten smart fabric sensors the
gloves create an immersive experience in
virtual or augmented reality through
fingertip and palm haptics well spun
meanwhile has a subsidiary called tilt
innovations and this has created a
product for the home textiles and
children's market called spin tails they
seamlessly integrates augmented reality
storytelling technology into children's
bedding and rooks so basically children
can scan the duvet or rook using a
tablet or a smartphone to bring them to
life and this market has also seen
developments from Stoll and Mayan to
partnered a couple of years ago on new
3d knitting machines to underpin the
growth of functional computing textiles
and of course I'm sure you'll all
remember Levi's commuter trucker jacket
which was launched in 2017 this of
course allows the user to handle calls
and text and play and listen to music
without handling their smartphone thanks
Fiona could you please tell us what
interesting new developments you have
observed so of course the smart textiles
market is driven by the increasing need
for information that allows us to make
sense of ourselves and the environment
and the Tesla suit does just that this
is an AR and VR suit and software suite
that provides haptic feedback and
climate control and captures both motion
and biometrics this is designed to
increase immersion and improve learning
another interesting development is the
robotic spider dress from fashion tech
designer Anu
it cracked and it was developed to
defend a wearer's personal space so by
using Intel Edison chip and 3d printing
when the sensors in the dress noticed
the wearer's respiration heightening the
spider legs mechanical spider legs as it
were extend into what it calls an attack
position the butterfly dress from
Turkish design you are Ezra and tuber
Chetan also uses the Edison ship like
the spider dress it's embedded with a
proximity sensor that is able to react
to the presence of an approach in person
with this dress releasing 40 butterfly
attachments now of course these two
concepts are unlikely to become everyday
products anytime soon but they highlight
the possibilities of smart textiles and
now they look really good we've also
seen a musical tablecloth from the
Swedish company smart textiles that has
a drum kicked and piano keys printed on
the fabric the tablecloth is partly made
from conductive fibers that can carry
current and convert it into signals so
here we have another example of how
smart textiles can have an educational
purpose another not worthy of mentioning
and is Lumias electronic layer or LEL
which makes a farm factor of circuits
that can be used to bring function into
textile products due to its durable
structure it can be sewn or bonded into
various soft good applications such as
furniture or automotive interiors to
integrate heating lighting and sensing
functions so this should serve as an
important aid for producing smart
textiles we're also seeing some really
interesting research developments and a
recent one I read about is a German
Research Center project called context
which aims to innovate smart home
textiles the basic aim here is to
install technical sister
anywhere in the house where they are
needed so something like this will
hopefully overcome hurdles relating to
power and communications connections
another research outcome just to mention
he seems to tackle data security
concerns so researchers from the
University of Singapore they developed a
wireless body sensor network so that
rather than sending radio waves into
surrounding space where the data is
easily accessible the metamaterials are
able to create surface waves that can
glide wirelessly around the body on the
clothes so those developments have been
our particular interest
thank you Fiona next please could you
tell us what the main challenges that
are that are impacting the market yes so
some of the main challenges including
washability and scalability have been
widely reported on already by wtan and
other analysts and they of course impact
the FEL sector too besides this I would
say that in this market it's also worth
talking about the concerns that have
been raised about how smart textiles
could impact the way we communicate and
to elaborate on this I just want to
highlight the hawk shirt from cute
circuit this is a haptic
telecommunication wearable that makes
people send a virtual hook using sensors
and Bluetooth so two people wearing the
shirt can record a hook and send it to
each other
remotely like the concerns raised with
the snap phone is that smart textiles
could result in minimized human contact
so I think it's important to design and
market smart textiles as something that
enhances human interaction without
attempting to replace it altogether
secondly smart textiles are still very
much a novelty especially in this field
but as consumers continue to become more
aware of them the main challenges will
lie in
durability safety and for wearables
confidence it this will require the
textile industry to liaison our with
electronics and engineering experts as
well as academic researchers to pool
their knowledge and in turn reinvent
textiles as this is what they're
essentially doing sensors and actuators
etc will need to become more seamless
and compatible existing fabric farming
techniques so that they can withstand
the stresses and strains placed on them
and what will also need looking at later
down the line is how we dispose of these
products safely when they reach their
end-of-life this will become more
difficult for smaller and more
indiscreet sensors become this area will
therefore require a reassessment of the
existing laws and regulations currently
governing it and because various
industry sectors are involved
communication between them all will be
key another challenge will lie in the
security of these garments which I
touched on earlier as they enhance
connectivity this means that data is at
risk of being infiltrated we recently
saw this for instance with the data hack
of Under Armour's MyFitnessPal app so I
think the industry needs to initially
work out the realities of these risks
and then take the appropriate measures
to ensure that customers can place trust
in their products
how do you envisage the future of the
market relating to my last answer smart
textiles for the FEL market will grow
once people are able to integrate them
more seamlessly into everyday life and
that's linked to the components used the
ease of use and as mentioned for
wearables comfort and sit so as a result
we'll continue to see more instances of
where the fabric itself is conductive
seen with startup brand
peretta for instance I think the fashion
segment in particular
will benefit from the innovative designs
that smart textiles can offer leveraged
here by 3d printing technologies but
this mainly applies to heart khajur
specialist items it will take some time
before smart textiles become an everyday
item secondly as societies become an
increasingly technically savvy
highlighted by the massive electronic
devices we now use
there's definitely space for a new
generation of textiles that are fitting
to consumers lifestyles so the onus is
on knowledge and information and how we
make sense of that and that is where
business capital will lie in the future
I also think opportunities can be saw in
the idea of smart textiles being used to
say alert a consumer of when they need
to be repaired or replaced so they could
learn into a new clothing as a service
model for replacement or rental of smart
fabric products focusing on lifestyle
we're currently seeing a number of new
lifestyle brands specializing in smart
textiles an example being chewing sense
and its pivot yoga smart yoga wear this
enables Yogi's to improve their
technique based on the information
provided by the sensors the interest
these companies spark could prompt
traditional lifestyle companies
currently producing functional or
standard textiles to move into the smart
textiles fielding future we've already
seen this for
example with Lululemon and uniquely this
in turn could make it difficult for
smaller players to enter the market
offer those that are already in the
market leading to increased competition
at the same time technology companies
such as Microsoft Google and Apple are
increasing their investments in
wearables you may recall that Nike and
Google teamed up to launch gym shoes
that can track real time footprints
using Google Earth so that's definitely
a space to watch as mentioned earlier
it's important that these industries
communicate effectively with each other
pooling knowledge and resources in order
to produce products that work well let's
Fiona please could you tell us what
other end-use applications are being
targeted yes sir there are various and
uses to watch when I'm particularly
interested in his payment systems and so
for instance feyza recently introduced
NFC enabled payment gloves that enables
seamless and secure payments through a
tap at any contactless enabled terminal
without needing to take them off so here
prepaid or amounts are embedded into the
glove we also think that the gaming
sector will continue to open up new
possibilities for smart textiles boosted
by the popularity of virtual and
augmented reality the pokemon gold craze
was only a small sample demonstration of
how video games can merge with physical
activity apart from the tilt innovation
I mentioned earlier the kids
entertainment category is still an
untapped market so plenty of
opportunities lie here to capitalize on
especially if you consider that one in
three insolent users are kids and youth
Society innovating improve the awareness
of technology third education is
expected to drive this amount another
end-use relates to the wide use of
electronic devices in today's society
here smart textiles could be used as
possible charger we saw an example of
this recently with Tommy Hilfiger's
solar-powered jacket which can charge
electronic devices through converting
energy from removable solar panels
attached to the back of the jacket so
those are some other key and uses
finally please could you tell us about
the factors that will continue to drive
the market yes as well as the ones
discussed rapid urbanization will also
create opportunities for smart textiles
living in cities is associated with
lifestyle changes and consumption
patterns this means that people are
looking for ways to streamline their
lives and therefore require
technologically advanced solutions in
their daily we've seen this in the
popularity of the uber business model
which creates opportunities for IOT
solutions burden ideation is also linked
to higher density in urban areas leading
to negative effects on the environment
such as higher consumption of natural
resources increased air pollution and
more waste so this will lead the way
from our commuter based snack balance
but how to adapt to a user's climate
myself you can skincar product from my
auntie's just one example of that as
well as the mercury intelligent heated
jacket with this I think a general need
for convenience will fuel the market
driven by busy lifestyles were therefore
seen increasing developments in the
connected home and smart home solutions
including smart home blinds from Ikea
busy life staff can also lead to
emotional and physical stress so this
will likely lead to smart thousand
active improving health an example here
is vibing developed by Eindhoven
University of Technology wearable senses
lab so this is a self-care tool in the
form of a garment which invites the body
it says to feel move and
through vibration therapy the marina
wool garment contains knitted pockets
embedded with electronic circuit odds
that enable the garment to sense touch
and vibrate specific pressure points on
the body we've also seen the muse
headband which helps users to perform
meditation exercises tracking the brain
activity and translating it into what it
calls guiding sounds besides this the
change in retail landscape including the
rise of online shopping will also
present opportunities of smart textiles
especially when it comes to improving
size and fit of garments in this area
we've seen the Zozo suit which is a body
measurement device that enables
consumers to upload their measurements
to an app from the comfort of their own
home now despite the products not quite
getting off the ground this is an
example of how smart textiles could be
used in future finally I also think the
youth of today so here we're talking
generations ed aged 4 to 24 and could
play a part in smart textiles growth in
the FEL market as their use of
technology and desire for uniqueness is
encouraging fashion designers to design
high-tech clothing this generation of
cars have grown up in the digital age so
they're likely to easily respond and
adapt to this type of clothing so those
are the main drivers to keep in mind
Thank You Fiona for that insightful
presentation we have some time left to
answer some of your questions so if you
have anything that you would like to ask
please feel free to type them into the
question box on your Zune control panel
if you enjoyed the webinar the return
has also published a more in-depth
report on the smart Texas channel on
wtan comm this panel delivers technical
intelligence on materials manufacturing
technologies and application areas for
smart textiles the channel covers
multiple areas including a textiles
sensor materials energy having
technologies and more if you're
interested in finding out more about the
channel please contact the DTN sales
team by emailing sales at WTI n.com
we've had a few questions already so
first fear I'll ask you what region
occupies the largest market share of
smart textiles for fel
good question and so North North America
is currently leading sales and that's
mainly because of the ever growing
electronics market in this region it's
also a very responsive market and said
to be constantly latching on to the
latest consumer trends and consumers in
this market tend to be highly informed
and enthusiastic which helps
manufacturers to market and sell smart
textiles products in this region and of
course some of the leading players and I
mentioned earlier such as sensoria
textronics they're actually located in
this region so that's also aiding
development
Thank You Fiona and we've had another
question here that asks what startup
companies are you seeing in this market
it's quite a few actually and a lot
going through the the crowdfunding
schemes and initiatives that you may see
such as Kickstarter but you may recall
me mention kureta earlier and this is a
london-based company and it's spun out
from the National Physics Laboratory
it's created a free-form process to add
durable conductive metallic patterns to
textiles without changing the fabric
feel or performance and the technology
plaits the fibers with a very thin
coating of metal that enables the fibers
to move naturally so it's that idea of
flexibility that is needed and in the
industry it's also worth noting the
Manchester based stats are prevail and
not only is it working with Manchester's
graphene Engineering Innovation Center
to incorporate graphene into its designs
but it's also working in partnership
with a leading global telecommunications
group
so really pioneer the use of its 5g
network to enhance and power its
innovations fashion is among one of its
targeted applications it's still in
pretty much in the prototyping stage but
this is definitely a startup to watch
out for and and another one to mention
is breadth and this is a wearable and
fashion tech startup based in Milan
Italy its aim is to develop a wearable
tech collection for yoga and Pilates
practice just is through an optical
fiber stripe so again it's about
recording vital signs that help people
to perfect their techniques and what's
also worth knowing about this company
and is that it uses natural fibres and
this is something we're increasingly
seeing in the smart textiles industry
specifically to really meet the need for
skin friendly and planet friendly
ingredients so they're just a few static
companies there
mentionin
and COO Fiona and thank you everyone for
joining us today we really appreciate
you being here and you will receive a
copy of this webinar tomorrow on Friday
if we didn't get a chance to answer your
questions apologies for that but we will
be in touch shortly with an answer to
your questions thanks again for joining
us today and we will see you next time
you
you