When science fiction was blossoming into its own media genre, the year 2020 was held up with high expectations. We were supposed to live in virtual landscapes, drive flying cars and visit other planets like we were going to the corner store. Maybe those ideas held a little too much fiction in them, but a lot of impressive tech has been developed in recent years. The future has already arrived in slightly different ways than expected.

While we’re inventing new things, we’re also expanding on the technology we already have and revisiting old ideas, such as smart textiles. With all of this new technology, these e-textiles can be more versatile and useful than ever before. Our drive to improve on what we already have can lead the smart textile industry and all those supported by it to new heights.

What Are Smart Textiles?

Smart textiles, also known as intelligent, electronic or e-textiles, is a concept we came up with over a thousand years ago that’s made a revolutionary impact on human life in the last few decades. Electronic textiles are fabrics that conduct electricity, which can then sense changes in the environment and respond in a particular way.

When we refer to an electronic textile, however, we don’t just mean that there are conductive materials in the fabric. A smart textile of the future must have the capabilities to sense, communicate and transmit information. While this sort of technology may seem like a further breach of privacy, e-textiles that advanced are likely to not be used for entertainment or convenience purposes for some time.

Smart Textiles: Then and Now

Technically, smart textiles existed many years ago. Fine metal foils like gold and silver were woven into fabrics as decoration, used for things like embroidery and fine gowns. It wasn’t until the 19th century, though, that people started to intentionally use materials like gold for their conductive properties. Astronauts’ space suits, for example, were made with technology in mind — they needed to be able to control temperature and inflate or deflate when needed.

In the 1990s, MIT researchers began investigating smart textile options for military use. Unlike bulky astronaut suits, these textile options focused on interactive clothing that didn’t get in the way, and eventually, it influenced what everyday people could wear in the future. Today, our smart textiles vary from LED lights woven into fabrics to clothing that can read the wearer’s biometrics. The more uses we find for smart textiles, the more advances we’ll make.

Smart Textile Uses

There are many uses for smart textiles, but most of them fall into one of two categories: aesthetic and performance. Aesthetic uses include our example of fabrics with woven LED lights, but the possibilities go beyond that. Some e-textiles have been designed to change color, shape or provide interactive elements. Performance uses are all about function over fashion. Like the aforementioned astronaut suits, these can regulate temperature, guard against radiation, control muscle vibrations and provide other uses.

Smart textiles can be used in any industry, however, some industries see more benefits than others, particularly the medical and healthcare sector. With e-textiles, there’s a hope that we can track psychological conditions, create more anti-aging features and even administer medicine through the clothing.

This French fashion tech company has been busy creating connected clothing, including jeans, dresses and bikinis.

The Neviano UV Protect swimsuit collection is equipped with a removable medallion-style waterproof sensor that aims to stop you staying too long in the sun.

Once you've entered your skin type in the companion iOS or Android smartphone app, it'll continuously monitor the temperature throughout the day and will send out warnings when it's time to apply some more sunscreen or get into the shade.

From $162, spinali-design.com

Producing Smart Textiles

Surprisingly, manufacturing smart textiles isn’t a very expensive venture. As technology advances, the components used in e-textiles have become a lot cheaper over time, allowing them to be produced and sold at a reasonable rate. 

Instead of creating gold, silver or copper threads, manufacturers simply coat already existing threads from fibers in various conductive materials. However, even this practice doesn’t have to be used a lot. By combining cotton or nylon with a metal fiber, they can become conductive on their own. All in all, the reduced need for materials leads to less money having to be involved.

Selling Smart Textiles

Having a lower price than expected certainly helps the selling point, and with technology getting even more ingrained in society as time passes, e-textiles will likely surge in popularity, too. With low prices and plenty of markets to choose from, the smart textile industry will likely not have problems continuing into the positive in the next decade — but more can be done to ensure the business booms.

For example, some companies that focus on more niche markets like the military or PPE may see better sales than just the fashion industry. For e-textiles to see a huge jump in technology, there needs to be a lot of sales and demand for something, in particular, to make the venture worthwhile. Those demands will likely come from the space and healthcare industries, which have been the biggest buyers of e-textiles for years.

Why We Need Smart Textiles

We’ve entered the age of convenience and instant satisfaction. We already talk to appliances for simple actions or to satisfy fleeting curiosity, so getting our clothing involved in the rapidly approaching future is almost too easy at this point. To get to this future, though, we’re going to need the tech that e-textiles brings to healthcare and other industries, allowing us to advance in more sectors as well. The 2020s won’t be without e-textiles showing up in the limelight at least a few times.

Rowley, the activewear division launched out of swimwear brand Cynthia Rowley, grew from wet suits that the designer introduced five years ago. Offering 35 pieces this Fall, smart textiles feature on the pockets of fleecy jackets and puffer coats, boasting a copper lining that stops radiation from mobile devices. Rowley's printed leggings are built with wider waistbands and sweat-wicking fibers. Stretch and quick-dry, the line also carries printed sport bras, cropped leggings and racer back singlets in nylon and spandex.

Sabine Seymour's fashion tech startup, Supa, mashes up neon, a heart rate sensor and AI to give you a smart bra with a ton of personality. It's water resistant and syncs to the Supa.AI app via Bluetooth. It'll use "invisible biometric sensors" and AI to not only keep track of workouts, but track things like UV levels, too.

You can get the Supa in three sizes – small, medium and large – and it comes in three distinct styles. There's the Supa heavy stripes, a blue-tinted mix and the very colourful 'colours'. You can pick up the bra for about $120, but you'll also need to get the Supa Reactor to actually keep track of your health data.

$120 (Supa Bra) / $60 (Supa Reactor), shop.supa.ai

The Future is Now!! What would you create with smart textiles?