Internet of Things in the Fashion Industry
Thought the fashion industry could escape IoT?
Well, think again, because IoT is currently changing the face of the fashion industry in more ways than you could imagine. IoT is all about connecting people and products to make customers, manufacturers, companies, stores, etc. to make life easier in some capacity. Therefore, it is not too much of a stretch to imagine implementing IoT into fashion and the fashion industry.
Imagine clothing that can detect your heart rate during workouts, a baby outfit that can monitor your babies sleep patterns or vital functions, or an outfit that could protect your skin a body from environmental pollutants and contamination. There are endless amounts of ways to connect fashion and technology together seamlessly.
Let’s explore in detail some of the coolest ways that fashion industry is combining IoT with fashion to reveal some of the most advanced tech items in the world.
Smart Fabrics
Individuals who work high-risk jobs are beginning to see a change in the clothing and uniforms they wear on the job. Careers such as firefighters, military, police, and other armed forces will see significant changes in their uniforms. These pieces of smart clothing can be equipped with technology that monitors the person’s heart rate and other vital functions when they are in high stress and dangerous situations (i.e. fighting a fire in a large building).
Sports wear and uniforms are also seeing a lot of changes with IoT as well. For instance, smart clothing would not only monitor the athlete’s heart rate and other vital functions. The smart clothing would also track workout performance, be equipped with GPS for accurately track runs and help with safety, and could potentially give the athlete tips on how to improve their performance.
Fun Fact: “The worldwide market for smart fabrics is $2.25b with an annual growth rate of 18%, while the US market for smart fabrics is $1.016b with annual growth rate of 27%.”
Never Loose a Sock, Shoe, Shirt, etc. Again
We have all experiences times where we have misplaced or lost a sock, shoe, or other article of clothing. Sometimes we can find it and other times it seems as though it has disappeared for good. With the incorporation of IoT on fashion, however, this could be a thing of the past. Designers are exploring the concept of combining IoT with clothing to create smart clothing that can give you its location when you misplace something.
Sensors in the clothing could send your phone a signal letting you know exactly where that article of clothing is. Additionally, this kind of tech will also help manufactures and suppliers as well. They can easily keep track of their products, who buys them, how often they are used, etc.
Color and Pattern Changing Fabrics
Although this sounds completely fictional, we have already seen color changing and pattern changing fabrics on the runway. Lauren Bowker, a fashion designer at The Unseen has designed and invented a fabric that is able to change colors and patterns through the use of a sensor system.
Furthermore, he has also created a dress that can understand the wearer’s emotions. The dress can interpret human magnetism through sensing brainwaves and in return the dress can change according to those brainwaves. In order to showcase these changes, the dress is adorned with 4,00 precious, beautiful gemstones to bring the dress to life.
