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Smartly Dressed
Steve Frumkin
04/01/2005
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Nano-Tex, based in Greensboro, N.C., is one of the companies behind the nanotechnology making fabrics spill resistant, durable and breathable. Crypton Fabrics, in the same city, has patented a fabric with an impervious membrane that resists stains, bacteria, odor and moisture; the health care industry is starting to use these textiles for sterile uniforms and bedding. The Army signed a $50 million contract with MIT to develop nanotechnology applications for military clothing. The Department of Defense has also granted a research project to the School of Textiles and Materials Technology at Philadelphia University, where I teach, to develop fabrics that would make combat uniforms more protective.
Of course, the United States has an unfortunate history of developing leading-edge innovations, only to see them waylaid when companies in emerging markets master the technology; lower labor costs usually mean many jobs soon follow. In 2002, Levi Strauss, which no longer manufactures garments in the U.S., introduced a line of Dockers pants that incorporates Teflon as a guard against stains. The company also manufactures clothing that resists becoming damp from perspiration. Haggar Clothing, which makes almost all of its garments overseas, produces pants that appear to stay new, called the ForeverNew line. U.S. companies will continue to outsource production, and might eventually sell licensing rights to legitimate manufacturers overseas. But around the time China starts making nanotechnology-treated apparel, the United States will be developing applications for the next step in the industry: automated textiles that can sense outside stimuli and respond to it. So-called smart garments incorporate sensors that use nanotechnology or microelectronics.
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