On April 11th, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) hosted the Smart Fabrics Summit in Washington, D.C. USFIA was there to get the scoop from the speakers, who included David Lauren of Ralph Lauren Corporation.
The Summit’s aim was “to foster greater collaboration between the U.S. apparel, technology, and textile industries and to identify the public policies that could accelerate the design and manufacture of smart fabrics products by U.S. companies.”
In addition to demonstrations from companies that currently use smart fabrics, the all-day Summit featured five major panels.
Manufacturing Smart Garments - Surprises, Challenges, and Lessons Learned
Speakers included Amanda J. Parkes, Chief of Technology and Research at Manufacture NY, as well as the Senior Director of Business Development and Partnerships for adidas. They spoke about the importance of bringing together the experts from various disciplines–from rocket scientists to Italian designers—to create exciting ways to bring new technology to the consumer. In fact, Parkes is working with both to create a high heel that is actually comfortable, which we can’t wait to see!
The Federal Investment in Smart Fabrics from Transformational Research to Start-Up Accelerators
The panelists talked about how the newly-launched Advanced Functional Fabrics of America program, which is part of the Revolutionary Fibers & Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute, will create new opportunities for companies to work with academics and government. The AFFOA is still in the organizational stages and companies have an opportunity to join their fiber innovation network.
Using Intellectual Property Rights to Protect and Spur Smart Fabrics Innovation
Turning from talking how to innovate, this panel focused on what companies need to do to protect their investment in new technologies. Government officials from the Federal Trade Commission and the Patent & Trademark Office were joined by an attorney specializing in trademark and copyright work to tell companies that they need to stay up-to-date on patent and trademark protection.
Smart Fabrics Standards – Building the Foundation for Growth
Recognizing that the world of smart fabrics is changing quickly, these panelists emphasized the importance of developing international standards for innovative products. Representing the Federal Communications Commission, as well as the IEEE Standards Association, they talked about the types of standards that usually are not part of the discussion at a textile event.
The Keynote Roundtable on the Future of Smart Fabrics was moderated by the Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker. The panel featured two high-profile speakers, David Lauren, Executive Vice President of Global Advertising, Marketing, and Communications at Ralph Lauren, and Joshua Walden, Senior Vice President and General Manager for the New Technology Group at Intel Corporation. Lauren said that the company has always looked at technology as an important way to connect with the customer. And he shared a demonstration of how the technology works with the high-tech polo shirt that measures biometric data. Walden said that while he never expected to talk about fashion, the development of smart fabrics is an important new market for Intel.
Commerce Secretary Pritzker told WWD, “Obviously the apparel business or fabric creation business is very different from the sensor business or the biofeedback business. We’re trying to pull all of these thing together and the potential is to help athletes train better or help doctors monitor patients or have soldiers better protected in the line of duty or help first responders be safe as they help the public.”
According to Pritzker, the global market for smart fabrics currently enjoys an 18 percent annual growth rate, increasing from $1.2 billion in 2012 to $1.9 billion in 2015. Domestically, sales of smart fabrics were $854 million in 2015.
Stay tuned, because USFIA will be covering more on smart fabrics and wearables in the near future!