Intelligent Textile and Interactive Clothing getting high attention not only in research but also in the education sector preparing future fashion designer with the knowledge and knowhow to merge technology and textile into future clothing.

A recent initiative by the University of Wales , Newport created a opportunity for a mix of students from Sweden, Finland, Spain, England and Wales incorporating hi-tech computerised technology and explore the potential Intelligent Textiles can offer.

The students spent three weeks on the EU intensive programme creating blueprints for a diverse range of futuristic clothing – including sportswear, corporate wear and action clothing aimed at the rapidly expanding older population - that merges textile and garment design with interactive electronics and computing.

 

Commenting on the success of the international collaboration, Jane McCann, Director of the University’s Smart Clothes and Wearable Technology research unit, said, “This project brought together a diverse range of students who are exploring areas such as textile technology, garment design, electronics and computing.

“The aim was to share the expertise of the partner institutions and introduce the students to the skills they will need to work as part of future multidisciplinary design teams in the emerging industries that create garments which incorporate electronics with state-of-the-art technical textiles.”

Smart Clothes and Wearable Technology (SCWT) is a multi-disciplinary team conducting research into smart clothing that addresses end-user needs from technical, aesthetic and cultural viewpoints. The research group is a collaboration between the University of Wales, Newport and the National Centre for Product Design and Development Research (PDR) at UWIC, working to create the 'smart' clothes of the future.

This initiative of the The University of Wales is yet another example in a growing list of activities in the Wearable Electronic space. Wearable Electronic might still be in the early stage of becoming a profitable business but those activities are indicators pointing towards the emergence of a wider and more diverse spectrum of intelligent Textile as we have per today.

 

Source: The University of Wales, Newport