WHAT ARE SMART TEXTILES AND HOW CAN THEY BENEFIT US

With the WORTH Partnership Project we are always amongst activities of the creative industries and observe movements of product developments and advancements, and it is obvious that one of the biggest hot topics of recent times is smart textiles.

For those who are not familiar with the term, smart textiles are fabrics integrated with various technologies that often result in a smart item of clothing which offers the wearer an array of functions and capabilities that traditional clothing does not provide. Often the textiles are created to interact with the wearer or the environment around the wearer, such as garments that can heat up to protect the wearer from harsh conditions or dresses that incorporate LED light filaments.

Although these items are just starting to infiltrate into the lives of everyday people, the rapid advancements in this field will see them soon become a part of everything we do and everything we wear.

The capabilities of smart textiles are endless and provide a whole new sense of hope that goes far beyond simple aesthetics. Smart products have the ability to change and improve people’s lives with products currently being developed to monitor peoples body functions, moderating body temperatures, shielding wearers from radiation and defending the wearer from pollution.

These amazing advancements can also be seen in the WORTH Partnership Project first call winners through innovative projects such as Pepper Vally + Blautic, who are developing clothes with the ability to detect human emotions and react to these feeling by modifying phystical aspects of the textiles. Maurin Donneaud + Kobakant who are manufacturing a design for LED lighting connections between soft circuitry and optic fibres. It is also evident in the work of Vulpes + Mobel Sport who are manufacturing a shirt/jacket with thermo-regulated properties for outdoor use.

We are really looking forward to watching this industry sector grow and develop into something that will change the world for the better. It is through the WORTH Partnership Project that these amazing ideas can be taken from the cradle into a successful products that could benefit our lives in unthinkable ways.  

Image: Pepper Vally + Blautic