Fashion's Future - Cover Story - trends in the apparel industry

DSN Retailing Today, Dec 10, 2001 by Emily Scardino

In "2001: A Space Odyssey," Stanley Kubrick posited that the future would bring us sleek interplanetary spaceships, commuter shuttles to the moon and, sartorially, garb reminiscent of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century."

Kubrick's film illustrates that predicting the future is no mean feat. Nevertheless, it is human nature to predict things to come. So, as the apparel industry looks forward--perhaps with some trepidation--to next year and the next decade, what do today's industry pundits say about clothing's potential future?

"Consumers will increasingly ask the question, 'What can it do for me, how can it make me healthier and stress less' when it comes to apparel,"' says Carole D'Arconte, president of Color Portfolio. "They'll also ask, 'How can I connect quickly and accurately with my portable electric devices?"' Forecasting fashion trends for retailers, such as WalMart, Kmart, Target, JCPenney and Sears, D'Arconte's company, like other organizations in the field, believes that technology will have an increasingly important influence on apparel.

Some evolving concepts that are already becoming reality, range from vitamin-dispensing materials to fabrics that store body heat.

VF's The North Face division currently is introducing a new item that may be a precursor of apparel's future offering. Its heated jacket, which is composed of a Maiden Mills' Polar Heat fabric, incorporates a rechargeable lithium battery that heats a mesh of proprietary filaments.

"We are definitely going to see a population that is more prepared for a fusion of computer electronics and clothing, made possible by the integration of silicon into fabric as a connective tool," says futurist Watts Wacker, chief excutive officer of FirstMatter LLC. Think solar panels that charge up electronic appliances and sleeves that monitor blood pressure--Wacker cites Philips as one of the companies exploring the "wearable electronics" category.

Avant-garde applications are expensive--The North Face jacket retails for $499. It will take time for this wizardry to work its way to mass, but adaptations of the technology are already viable in some accessory items. For instance, JanSport's Back Talk backpack, at the suggested retail price of $34.90, features an electronic board that displays personal messages, special effects and jokes.

Electronic gadgets, in general, have become increasingly important, and many clothing designs already sport extra pockets and other features to accommodate the use of devices such as cell phones, MP3s and PDAs. There is little question that this trend will continue in the years to come.

Kari Emond, fashion director for Zellers, sees men's "handbags" becoming a key accessory; these smaller alternatives to briefcases target consumers challenged to keep up with their electronic gear.

Apparel aiming to incorporate the James Bondesque paraphernalia that has become a part of many people's lives will be important down the road, but technology will also influence clothing design in less obvious ways.

"I think consumers have an increasingly elevated expectation of comfort," says Emond. "I call it 'invisible technology'; it should be imperceptible, maintaining the hand of natural fibers, in traditional classics."

Microencapsulation, already part of the Sara Lee roster, is a key example. This method of invisibly incorporating compounds in apparel in a semipermanent fashion has applications ranging from products to slow hair growth to aromatherapy. It hit mass this year in L'eggs Care, featuring an aloe vera moisturizer.

"Product encapsulation is an important trend in intimates going forward; for spring 2003, it's already in the works for fruit- and flower-scented product," says Silvia Harven, design director for Sara Lee Underwear. "There are applications for functions like cellulite control, but we'll have to see how comfortable customers are with this technology."

Health and wellness features take time to digest. For instance, the Champion sports bra will be among the first commercial products next spring featuring X-Tatic, a silver fabrication with antimicrobial properties made by Noble Fiber Technologies. The bra's sanitary benefits, however, aren't being emphasized; the heat distribution and support the "silver lining" provides will be touted.

Besides space-age applications in silver bullet bras, technology is also improving already-proven concepts. Stretch silk and faux suede are now machine washable, a characteristic that sells well at mass. Kmart and Zellers have already committed to expanding their assortments of merchandise in these materials.

Easy care is also primed for expansion now that treatments are becoming less detectable and available in more fabrications.

Stain resistance, now practically imperceptible, adds value and will gain ground. In children's wear, VF's permanent Kidproof knitwear technology will find application in many of the company's brands and fabrications--fleece in 2002 and eventually denim--which Wal-Mart spokeswoman Susanne Decker says will remain steadily popular. Levi Strauss is also testing stain resistance in kids' clothing.