Grabbing the eyeballs in the world of fabric is material capable of adapting to changing weather. Though luxurious fabrics continue to appeal to consumers, there is a new generation of fabrics that functions as the body demands rather than just performing the ordinary task of covering the wearer!
Fabrics have been incorporated with electronic components to provide additional value to the wearer. Such materials can change color, light up, control muscle vibration, or even respond to heat or sound. The future of textiles is undoubtedly revolving around smart fabrics, and the global textile industry has been extremely receptive to this much-awaited change. According to Dr. Peter Harrop, James Hayward, Raghu Das, and Glyn Holland, authors of "Wearable Technology 2015-2025: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts," the wearable and smart technology market is projected to reach US$ 70 billion by 2025.
Projected Growth
Research firm Technavio has predicted that the global smart textiles market will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18.20 percent between 2015 and 2019. Faisal Ghaus, vice president of Technavio, notes, "Telemedicine monitoring devices have recently seen strong uptake for monitoring a patient's condition remotely. This demand from the telehealth sector is expected to be a boon for the [smart] textile industry through the projected period."
According to Grandview Research, based on market revenue share in terms of application, the smart textiles market in 2012-2013 indicated that a significant portion of smart textiles, 27.5 percent, was used for protection and military purposes. Around 20.6 percent was utilized for architecture, followed by the sports and fitness segment holding a 17.3 percent share, transportation using approximately 14.8 percent of smart textiles, the fashion industry with 12.4 percent, and the medical sector making use of 7.3 percent of total smart textile production.
Considering the influence fashion and technology have on consumers, smart textile growth in the fashion segment was limited in 2012. However, the scenario is changing for the better. During New York Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 14/15 collection, a London-based design duo, CuteCircuit, showcased a collection where models controlled how their dresses looked on the runway through their mobile phones.
The major challenge for smart fabrics is consumer awareness. According to a global information company, The NPD Group, smart textiles are generating curiosity but awareness remains low. Educating consumers about smart textiles may drive future sales.
According to the NPD Group, globally less than half of consumers are aware of smart fabrics. The awareness is low even with regard to those smart fabrics that have been available for several years. In some other cases like weather adaptable fabrics, inquisitiveness is higher than awareness. "Smart fabrics are an important and innovative development for the fashion industry, but consumers don't know enough about them to fully embrace them," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group, Inc.
Making smart moves
Even with the global economic turmoil, the growth of smart textiles has been rather consistent over the last five years. With an expanding market in North America, it is predicted to become the largest regional smart textiles market segment in the near future. As of 2012, the region accounted for 46.5 per cent of the global smart textile market. North America is also a world leader in manufacturing smart technology for the medical sector, followed by East Asia and Europe.
The research and development in smart textile has been extremely active, and smart textiles have multiple usage from medical to sports, fashion to defence. This has further driven demand. Moreover, reduced manufacturing cost and availability of low-cost fibre in Asia Pacific has a negative impact on manufacturing in Western Europe. Therefore, textile companies in Western Europe are also focusing on providing smart textiles as an added feature in apparel design.
The most promising region in the smart textile growth is Asia Pacific, with India and China providing a great momentum. Factors like low cost of production, easy availability of labour, growth in textile outsourcing have made this region the fastest-growing smart textile market. The market here is expected to expand at 25.2 per cent CAGR from 2015 to 2020.
Furthermore, according to MarketResearchReports.com, the global smart textiles market for the military is also predicted to grow at a CAGR of 10.35 per cent between 2015 and 2019. The demand for smart textiles has increased in military applications as they provide protection and functionalities that enhance military performance. Miniaturisation of electronic material and the advent of technology have led to the growth of the market, the report said.
India offering
In India, expanding sectors like clothing and apparel, home furnishings, military textiles, medical textiles, sport textiles etc are responsible for smart textile growth. Also, Indian consumers are becoming more health- and fashion-conscious, following which demand for smart clothing is on the rise.
In India, brands are focusing on giving men 'smart' clothing. "Formal menswear is an unexciting space," says Bhaskar Kelkar, brand director, Park Avenue, a popular menswear brand in Raymond's Rs 864-crore branded apparel business. "Innovations keep the category alive. These days, 'smart' clothes are taking a large share of the men's clothing market." Kelkar says continuous innovations such as Autofit, Hybrid Sensor, Zero Gravity and Crystalline have allowed the brand to buck economic slowdown and grow significantly in the last few years.
What lies ahead?
Smart textile represents high-end performance clothing market, which gives freedom to manufacturers to attract consumers who are not hesitant to pay high prices. The high prices of smart textiles are justified, as cost of manufacturing, research and development and quality of smart clothing drives pricing.
Recently, an international team of scientists led by Helena Alves from the University of Aveiro developed a technique to embed transparent, flexible graphene electrodes into clothing fibres. "This is a pivotal point in the future of wearable electronic devices. This is the first example of a textile electrode being truly embedded in a yarn," said study co-author professor Monica Craciun from the University of Exeter.
Developing markets like China and India can prove to be ideal for smart textiles, but as far as research and development are concerned, developed nations like United States and Germany have taken the lead.
References:
1. Reuters.com
2. Idtechex.com
3. Technicaltextile.net
4. Prnewswire.com
5. Grandviewresearch.com
6. Npd.com
7. Forbes.com
8. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Comments