Global Smart Fabric Market - 2023-2030

Overview

Global Smart Fabric Market reached US$ 2.8 Billion in 2022 and is expected to reach US$ 15.5 Billion by 2030, growing with a CAGR of 21.7% during the forecast period 2023-2030.

The growth of wearable technology derives greatly from smart textiles. Electronic and sensor-enhanced clothing and accessories are now being developed for use in sports, medicine, and fashion due to advancements in the field of e-textiles. Smart clothes and wearable technology are growing more and more fashionable. A growing number of outfits now come equipped with interactive elements, LED displays and color-changing capabilities.

The medical and healthcare industries are incorporating smart textiles more frequently, which is a major factor in the market's growth. The textiles are utilized in a variety of medical procedures, including wound treatment, post-operative recovery and patient monitoring. Smart textiles' capacity to continually and non-invasively track patients' vital signs and medical conditions is essential, especially in outlying or at-home medical facilities.

North America is among the growing regions in the global smart fabric market covering more than 1/3rd of the market. The majority of IT companies, research institutions and startups may be found in North America, especially United States, which is a center for globally innovation. The climate promotes developments in e-textiles, sensor technologies and material science, which lays a solid basis for the market expansion for smart fabrics.

Dynamics

Growing Demand for High-Tech Devices

The rising demand for complex devices with cutting-edge features is projected to increase throughout the forecast period. As a result, the major companies increase their efforts to provide cutting-edge smart textile goods for customers. For example, Google and Levi Strauss collaborated to develop a smart denim jacket using Project Jacquard smart technology.

For Instance, in 2020, Siren, a manufacturer of medical devices that has created innovative methods to incorporate microsensors into fabric, allowing the mass production of inexpensive, machine-washable smart textiles with applications for remote patient monitoring, announced today that it has raised US$11.8 million in funding, led by Anathem Ventures, with participation from current investors DCM, Khosla Ventures, 500 Startups and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund.

Additionally, Jason Krikorian, a partner at DCM, will join Siren's board as a result of this Series B round of fundraising, while Crystal McKellar, managing partner at Anathem, will serve as an adviser to Siren.

Rising Demand for Wearable Technology

The market for smart fabrics is being increasingly driven by the rise in popularity of wearable technologies. The seamless integration of wearable technology into consumers' daily lives is a growing consumer trend and smart textiles are essential to achieving this goal. Health monitoring gadgets and fitness trackers woven into ordinary clothes in addition to sports are forms of smart clothing that are becoming more and more popular.

For Instance, in 2021, Nextiles, a textile company, will provide smart thread technology that records biometric and biomechanical data for the sports and performance sector. Nextiles creates flexible materials with sensors woven into the fabric for items like daily sportswear. The textiles from Nextiles enable full biomechanics and biometric sensors to be collected on a single platform thanks to their patented manufacturing process.

Privacy and Regulatory Issues

Smart textiles' incorporation of sensors and data-collecting tools poses several legal and privacy issues. In our connected society, data security and privacy have become essential and the data collected by smart textiles may be sensitive. It can be difficult to ensure compliance with data protection rules, such as the GDPR in Europe or comparable legislation globally.

Furthermore, ethical questions have been raised regarding the possibility for data obtained by smart textiles to be misused. Manufacturers and legislators must collaborate to create clear legislation and industry standards for the collection, storage and use of data from smart textiles to get around this restriction. The market for smart fabrics must continue to expand by gaining customer trust through open data management practices.

High Cost of Production

The production of smart fabrics demands extensive manufacturing processes that frequently call for specialized supplies, tools and technology. The elements have the potential to considerably raise production costs, making smart fabrics more expensive than conventional textiles. The cost is increased further by the use of electronic parts, sensors and conductive materials.

The reasonable cost of smart textiles for both consumers and enterprises may be constrained by these increased prices, preventing their widespread adoption. Manufacturers must discover ways to lower production costs through economies of scale, improved manufacturing processes and the use of more affordable materials to get around this cost limitation.

Segment Analysis

The global smart fabric market is segmented based on product, function, end-user and region.

Increasing technologies of Smart Fabrics in Fashion and Entertainment

Fashion and Entertainment segment is among the growing regions in the global smart fabric market covering more than 1/3rd of the market. Smart fabrics are used in the fashion and entertainment industries to provide distinctive aesthetics to clothes. Technology woven into fabrics allows for the modification of aesthetic characteristics like color, size and form of clothing.

Through the use of integrated sensors or conductive yarn, smart textiles in clothing allow users to interact with their environment and transmit data to wearable devices. In the fashion business, fresh and visually beautiful clothing that is merged with a practical technology architecture that can transmit information drives the market under study. Numerous companies, from Uniqlo to Lululemon, employ clever textiles to put their collections ahead of the competition.

Geographical Penetration

Growing Popularity of Wearable Electronics in North America

North America has been a dominant force in the global smart fabric market and the industry for smart textiles is largely driven by North America due to several interconnected variables, including technical advancement, customer demand and strong institutional backing. Due to the concentration of IT firms, academic institutions and start-ups in this area, it acts as a hub for advances in material science and sensor technologies.

In addition, consumers in North America are recognized for embracing new technologies quickly, opening up markets for smart textiles in industries including consumer electronics, sports and healthcare. The government's grants and financing for research and development, particularly in the industries of healthcare and defense, also help the smart textiles market grow.

Because wearable electronics significantly improve human comfort, health and mental wellness, it is predicted that the market for these products would grow. The Canadian military's full-fabric keyboards were also used by the IAV Stryker regiments in place of the bulky, traditional equipment. The are designed to be more lightweight, portable and less prone to break into pieces.

For Instance, In July 2022, MIT researchers developed smart textiles that conform to the body and sense the wearer's location and movements using an avant-garde manufacturing technique. By using thermoforming and a specific sort of plastic yarn, the researchers were able to greatly improve the accuracy of pressure sensors woven into multilayered knit textiles known as 3DKnITS.

This approach was used to create a "smart" shoe and mat, after which a hardware and software system was created to gather and process pressure sensor data in real-time. The machine-learning system correctly predicted 95% of the motions and yoga poses that a person would adopt while standing on the smart textile mat.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic has made a significant dent in the market for smart fabrics globally. On the one hand, the smart fabric sector was impacted by production delays and a scarcity of essential supplies as a result of the pandemic's first supply chain and manufacturing interruptions. The encouraged the development of smart textiles for telemedicine and patient monitoring applications.

Smart textiles have had a difficult time developing and being widely used in industries like fashion, sports and entertainment due to lockdowns and limitations on in-person activities. On the plus side, the pandemic increased awareness of the value of remote healthcare and health monitoring systems, which increased demand for smart textiles in the medical and healthcare industries.

Additionally, as businesses and healthcare institutions introduced safety measures, there was an increasing need for smart fabrics that might offer characteristics like antimicrobial and self-cleaning qualities, expanding their appeal for usage in protective garments and uniforms. The pandemic expedited the development of smart materials with antiviral and antibacterial coatings to reduce the risk of infection.

As a result, COVID-19 first disrupted the market for smart fabrics, but it also brought attention to the demand for cutting-edge textile solutions across a range of industries, creating both possibilities and difficulties for the sector.

Russia-Ukraine War Impact Analysis

The current situation between Russia and Ukraine has the potential to have several effects on the globally market for smart fabrics. First, interruptions in the global supply chain might result in shortages of essential ingredients and components needed to produce smart textiles, raising production costs and perhaps delaying delivery.

Additionally, Political conflicts may also impede international commerce and cooperation, which might obstruct cross-national research and development partnerships between businesses and organizations. The rate of innovation in the market for smart fabrics can be slowed down as a consequence. As a result of the conflict, smart textiles may become more popular in military and defense applications.

As a result, businesses that specialize in smart textiles for the defense industry may see an increase in demand. Challenges posed by international trade embargoes and sanctions, which make it more challenging for businesses in these regions to compete on the global market, might, however, counteract this. Overall, the Russia-Ukraine crisis may bring both possibilities and difficulties to the market for smart fabrics, but how much of an influence it has will depend on how long and how bad the geopolitical situation lasts.

By Product

• Passive Smart
• Active Smart
• Ultra-Smart

By Function

• Sensing
• Energy Harvesting
• Luminescence and Aesthetics
• Thermo-Electricity
• Others

By End-User

• Military and Protection
• Architecture
• Healthcare
• Sports and Fitness
• Fashion and Entertainment
• Automotive
• Others

By Region

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
  • Mexico
• Europe
  • Germany
  • UK
  • France
  • Italy
  • Russia
  • Rest of Europe
• South America
  • Brazil
  • Argentina
  • Rest of South America
• Asia-Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • Rest of Asia-Pacific
• Middle East and Africa

Key Developments

• On February 11, 2021, DuPont acquired Tex Tech's Core Matrix Technology, a specialized fabric structure that can significantly lessen backface injuries while also improving ballistic and fragmentation performance for military and law enforcement personnel.
• On July 13, 2022, Microsoft developed a contact-based method of object identification that works with textiles. Since the middle of 2010, Microsoft has filed many patents, including one for electronically functional yarn for smart shirts and gloves, demonstrating its interest in smart fabric and smart apparel. The present patent is probably a continuation of a 2020 concept called Capacitivo, in which a "smart" fabric tablecloth would recognize food items, such as certain fruits put on a table or even liquids in glasses.
• On March 22, 2022, Bally Ribbon Mills announced their active involvement in the Smart Fabrics Summit 2022 as well as their fresh, innovative approaches to product creation and development. Additionally, according to BRM, new material samples that will be employed in the creation of smart clothing will be on exhibition.

Competitive Landscape

The major global players in the market include: AiQ Smart Clothing Inc., Clothing Plus Ltd., DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Schoeller Textiles AG, Sensoria, Inc., The Company Check, H.B. Fuller Company, Interactive Wear, Eeonyx Corporation and Tex-Ray Industrial Co. Ltd.

Why Purchase the Report?

• To visualize the global smart fabric market segmentation based on product, function, end-user and region, as well as understand key commercial assets and players.
• Identify commercial opportunities by analyzing trends and co-development.
• Excel data sheet with numerous data points of smart fabric market-level with all segments.
• PDF report consists of a comprehensive analysis after exhaustive qualitative interviews and an in-depth study.
• Product mapping available as Excel consisting of key products of all the major players.

The global smart fabric market report would provide approximately 62 tables, 63 figures and 197 Pages.

Target Audience 2023

• Manufacturers/ Buyers
• Industry Investors/Investment Bankers
• Research Professionals
• Emerging Companies