Fast Track: Smart Textiles and Clothing—Advances in Technology Spur Innovation

June 2018 | 10 pages | ID: F712D87AEADEN
Textiles Intelligence Ltd

Abstracts

There is huge potential for the integration of wearable technologies into textile and clothing products. In recognition of the potential, there has been much 'hype' regarding the development of smart textiles and clothing in recent years, and a number of companies—small and large—are seeking to enter the market. This is partly because smart textiles and clothing provide companies with the opportunity to develop products which can 'delight' consumers—because of their novelty and convenience—while also collecting large amounts of data which provide valuable insight into consumer lifestyles. However, the development of smart textile and clothing products is far from straightforward, and the industry is hugely dependent on collaboration and sharing knowledge. As a result, a number of specialist events have been established in order to support companies working within the wearable technology and smart textile and clothing industries. One such event is Wear It Festival—a conference held in Berlin, Germany. Textiles Intelligence attended the 2018 edition of the conference—which was staged during June 19-20, 2018—and interviewed industry experts to identify the latest market trends and the opportunities and challenges facing companies seeking to enter the smart textiles and clothing market.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Wear It Festival

COLLABORATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMART TEXTILES AND CLOTHING

BUSINESS MODELS AND SUCCEEDING IN THE MARKET

Identifying a problem
Business models
“Delighting” consumers

DATA COLLECTION

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Challenges
Environmental sustainability
Complexity of the existing textile and apparel supply chain
Legislation
Power sources

List Of Figures

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Mark glove