Posted May 1, 2016

 

By Devin Steele (DSteele@eTextileCommunications.com)

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Serendipitously on the heels of the Revolutionary Fibers & Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute (RFT-MII) announcement the previous week, the first-ever Smart Fabrics Summit here last month attracted a capacity crowd eager to learn more about this hot topic.

 

The all-day event, co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) and the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), provided a forum for public and private sector leaders in technology, apparel and textiles to highlight recent developments in the smart fabrics industry, identify opportunities for collaboration and discuss key industry challenges.

 

Nearly 200 people representing various sectors of the industry, along with academia, technologists and several federal government agencies, showed up to the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center to get a peek at high-tech textile advancements.

 

"The day was a huge success," said IFAI President and CEO Mary Hennessy, who participated in a roundtable discussion moderated by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. "Some of the best minds in the industry gave us an exciting look at the future. The American textile industry has been in the forefront of change for 50 years and smart fabrics are the next logical step.”

 

“Smart fabrics,” as they’re known, have the potential to change how athletes, patients, soldiers, first responders and consumers interact with clothes and other textile products. These high-tech products are capable of tracking and communicating data about their wearer or environment to other devices through embedded sensors and conductive yarns.

 

The world market for smart clothing is projected to grow from a base of $17.2 million in 2013 to approximately $600 million by 2020, according to research firm Tractica LLC.

 

Joshua Teitelbaum, deputy assistant secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods and Materials at the USDOC, called it an “exciting day.”

 

“The underlying purpose in trying to bring together these sectors was to converge textiles and electronics, because of advances in technologies,” he told eTC in an interview after the program ended. “And that raises a plethora of questions that you wouldn’t have to answer if you were just innovating textiles or apparel.

 

“And those questions are around things such as standards,” he continued. “If you are developing a washability standard for a textile with an electronic in it, do you test it in the same way as you did in the past? Or if you are trying to integrate the supply chains, how do you have the tech capabilities talk to the textile capabilities? Or if you are in the IP space, what are you able to patent where you weren’t able to before in textiles and apparel?”

 

Business leader roundtable

 

The day wrapped up with a Pritzker-moderated panel that spoke about the future of smart fabrics. Hennessey was joined by David Lauren, EVP of Global Advertising, Marketing and Communications for Ralph Lauren Corp., and Joshua Walden, SVP and GM of the New Technology Group at Intel – a diverse group that typically would not have the occasion to share the same dais.

 

“This is an exciting event of us at the Department of Commerce,” Pritzker said in her opening remarks. “Who would’ve thought we be involved this way with the fabric and apparel business? But at the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, we like to think of ourselves as America’s innovation agency and, in that role, we view our responsibilities as trying to create the conditions and build the policy infrastructure that allows you to do what you do, which is to create new products and services.

 

“We’re trying to create conditions where you’ll take risks, where you’ll collaborate and where we can help you hopefully find the financial support for your ideas and that ultimately you’re business and ideas will thrive,” she continued. “New technologies, the Internet and the digital economy are great sources of opportunity, innovation and growth for our country, and the smart fabric industry is no different. It’s relatively nascent but is really exciting.”

 

She also touched on the new RFT-MII and how these institutes are at the forefront of the department’s advanced manufacturing efforts.

 

Lauren said his company has taken a leadership role in the smart fabrics world because, for nearly a half century, Ralph Lauren has always celebrated what’s great about America.

 

“I’ve been walking through the room and it’s buzzing with excitement,” he said. “The buzzword that’s happening in fashion is ‘innovation.’ It’s about looking at wearable technologies, it’s about looking at new fabrics and new ways to bring your brand to life to touch a new consumer. So while you’ve reinvented the Commerce Department as an innovation department, it’s important that a brand such as Ralph Lauren also stay very relevant, and it’s not only about reaching a new demographic. It is about figuring out what people are looking for to live a happier, better life and technology affords you the ability to make clothing that people want – things that are warmer, things that are more comfortable, things that get better with age.”

 

Lauren brought to life the fusion of fabric/textiles/apparel and technology with a fitness model wearing the brand’s PoloTech shirt that measures biometric data.

 

Tech giant Intel also has taken an interest in high-tech textiles because new technologies “are in our DNA,” Walden said. Last fall, a new line of smart clothing from brand Chromat, in concert with Intel, was introduced at New York Fashion Week. The women’s fashion label worked with Intel engineers to develop dresses and sports bras that integrate Intel’s Curie module, which is hardware featuring a battery, motion sensors and wireless connectivity.

 

“Previously, if someone had ever said that Intel would be at New York Fashion Week or here today, I would’ve said they were crazy,” Walden said. “Smart fabrics have to have power, connectivity and the ability to have a human interface, and need to have sensors. Yes, it’s a new, emerging market, but we’re really excited about it.”

 

Market overview

 

Jeff Rasmussen, market research manager at IFAI, kicked off the day by discussing the market size and potential for smart fabrics. The top markets last year were transportation (27 percent), military/government (21 percent), industrial/commercial (20 percent), sports/fitness (17 percent), fashion (8 percent) and medical/healthcare (7 percent).

 

Smart fabrics and wearable technology are posed for rapid growth, he said. Rasmussen noted that there will be 9.7 million people living in the world by 2050 and 11.2 billion by the end of the century, with 75 percent living in cities.

 

“Nine billion is a staggering population that will drive change in how, where and what we live in,” he said. “Smart fabrics will play nicely in this sandbox. With smart, intelligent devices, clothes and electronics are expected to become one. People will heat/cool themselves wearing clothes treated with phase-change materials, and they’ll monitor medical conditions 24/7 at home or work via electronics embedded in their clothing.”

 

Industry demonstrations, experiences

 

Representatives of four companies provided demoes of how smart textiles are impacting their businesses. Mark Mordecai, director of business development at Pittsfield, N.H.-based Globe Manufacturing and Kathy McNutt, Globe’s technical services project engineer, discussed how the company is working to incorporate wearable technologies into their U.S.-made firefighter turnout gear. Claire King of Globe partner Propel also discussed a project her company is working on with Globe.

 

Amit Kapoor, president of Virginia-based First Line Technology, talked about how his company is integrating PhaseCore® heat-activated personal cooling technology into clothing for chemical and biological warfare.

 

And Steven Willoughby, marketing and business leader at DuPont, went over his company’s microcircuit materials, a suite of stretchable electronic ink materials for use in smart clothing applications and other wearable electronics.

 

Scott Ballenger, SVP, Business Development, PurThread Technologies, gave an overview of how his company incorporates Kodak’s EPA-registered silver salt at the fiber stage of textile production, resulting in antimicrobial fibers that look, feel, run, dye, blend and wash like any other fiber. He also invited to the dais Arthur Lucero, founder of California-based FIT + SCRUBS, to discuss a partnership between the companies.

 

Manufacturing Smart Garments – Surprises, Challenges and Lessons Learned

 

A panel discussed their diverse experiences developing smart garments and ecosystems for these technologies. Panelists included Qaizar Hassonjee, senior director of Business Development and Partnerships, adidas; Despina Papadopoulous, founder, Principled Design/Studio 50/50; and Amanda J. Parkes, Ph.D, chief of Technology and Research, Manufacture NY. J.J. Raynor, special assistant to the President for Economic Policy, National Economic Council, moderated.

 

The Federal Investment in Smart Fabrics from Transformational Research to Start-Up Accelerators

 

Panelists discussed the government’s engagement with academia and the private sector, particularly as it relates to the newly created Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) Alliance. The AFFOA, part of the RFT-MII, is a nonprofit research and development consortium comprised of partners from industry, academia and state governments.

 

Alan Davidson, director of Digital Economy, Dept. of Commerce and senior advisor to the Secretary, moderated. The panel included Daniel Cotter, director (acting), First Responder Group, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security; Dr. Jesse Jur, asst. professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science, N.C. State’s College of Textiles; and Stephen Luckowski, program manager, RFT-MII.

 

Using Intellectual Property Rights to Protect and Spur Smart Fabrics Innovation

 

This panel brought up a number of issues that may not have been considered related to protecting technological developments. Speakers included Vikrum Alyer, chief of staff, Patent and Trademark Office, USDOC; Lesley Fair, senior attorney, Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection; and Lynn Rzonca, registered patent attorney, Ballard Spahr LLP. Michael Petricone, SVP, Government Affairs at the Consumer Technology Association, served as moderator.

 

Smart Fabrics Standards – Building the Foundation for Growth

 

This panel covered some of the rules of the road related to standards and regulations when it comes to incorporating conductive materials into textile products. Panelists included Ira Keltz, deputy chief, Office of Engineering and Technology, Federal Communications Commission; Sandeep Khatua, technical director, Consumer Products, Bureau Veritas; and Alpesh Shah, senior director of Global Business Strategy and Intelligence, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association. The moderator was Jeff Weiss, senior advisor for Standards and Global Regulatory Policy, USDOC.