Tapping into Technical Textiles

The time is ripe for technical textiles to take centre stage across the globe, given the great strides that are being made in the arena. Samir Alam writes.

- Samir Alam

Revolutions don’t happen overnight; they build bit by bit, increasing the pressure for change until suddenly, the floodgates open and we’re surrounded by it. This is exactly how India went from having trunk-calling services and public call offices (PCOs) for communication to being the country with the biggest mobile phone-user base in the world. Many revolutions seem like science fiction until they become an undeniable reality. This is precisely the kind of revolution that we’re currently witnessing in the world of apparel and technology. In this respect, we don’t simply mean how technology is improving the apparel business or enhancing manufacturing; rather, how it is fundamentally changing the way apparel items function and perform.

Imagine a future where we don’t have to worry about cell phones losing their battery because every time we place them in our pockets, they would resume charging. What if we were alerted to fever or an impending heart attack because the apparel we wore predicted it? What if the clothes we wore changed their colors and hues based on our moods? Well, we don’t have to imagine these because all these features exist. This is due to the rapid evolution and revolution of smart textiles. And what was once thought of as science fiction has become a reality? In this article, we will take a closer look at the world of technology and smart apparel, and how it can revolutionize the future of the apparel industry.

THEORY AND PRACTICE