Smart Fabrics Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Active, Very Smart), By End Use (Defense & Military, Sports & Fitness), By Functionality (Sensing, Energy Harvesting), And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2025

Report Overview

The global smart fabrics market size was valued at USD 878.9 million in 2018 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 30.4% from 2019 to 2025. Smart textiles/fabrics are advanced fabrics developed with novel technologies, which offer added value to the wearer. Some of these fabrics also accumulate energy from the surroundings by extracting vibrations, heat, or sound, responding to these inputs. Such textiles are used across several applications to enhance performance and add aesthetic value. For instance, in the fashion industry, they are used due to their ability to light up and change color.

Until now most smart fabrics have been limited to niche usage including the high-end fashion, military & defense, and medical sectors. However, now the industry is witnessing a shift with a positive confluence of the technology and textiles that have led to the easy integration of comfortable fabric-based sensors together with the advent of conductive yarns that can be woven into fabrics. Smart textiles are also anticipated to create a revolution in the smart wearables market.

The development of clothes/fabrics that monitor every movement with a groundbreaking technology, which allows recycle and re-use of textiles is expected to play a key role in driving the market over the forecast period. Technological advancements in the wireless and electronics segment have led to miniaturization and assimilation of electronic components in conductive textiles, thereby spurring the market growth. A rise in the integration of the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology that offers features, such as low power consumption and multi-vendor interoperability, will also contribute to the growth.

Attires enabled with BLE technology can feel, sense, and regulate data, provided the device has an internet connection. The increasing popularity of sophisticated gadgets with various technologically advanced functions including sensing and reacting to the surrounding is expected to drive the market. Components, such as actuators, controllers, and sensor units, are incorporated into these fabrics for proper functioning. Smart textiles/fabrics are used by consumers as a clothing entity as well as by the military professionals for protection and safety purposes.

Furthermore, decreasing the manufacturing costs of electronic components is expected to fuel the market over the forecast period. A rise in demand can also be attributed to the introduction of conductive materials and advanced fibers that are used to manufacture such fibers. Nanotechnology has helped in the creation of such intelligent fabrics at a microscopic level and also in the development of army uniforms and equipment.

Product Insights

The market has witnessed considerable growth in recent years, with a transition from passive to active smart and very smart fabrics. The passive smart fabrics are wearable clothing that can sense the user movement and the surrounding environment. This segment led the market in 2018 due to low product prices and less complex functionalities than other variants. The very smart textile can sense, react, and adapt its behavior to the given circumstances and follows the principle of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This segment is expected to witness the highest CAGR over the forecast period on account of its ability to effectively deal with life-threatening circumstances, such as accidents or battlefield or to maintain high levels of comfort even during extreme environmental changes.

Functionality Insights

Based on functionality, the global market has been divided into sensing, energy harvesting, luminescence & aesthetics, thermoelectricity, and others. The sensing functionality segment accounted for a significant share of the global market in 2018. This was mainly attributed to the ability of sensing, which is the most essential attribute of any smart garment. Furthermore, sensing and monitoring have been in use in various applications including medical, sports & fitness, and military & defense for a long time. On the other hand, the energy harvesting segment is projected to register the maximum CAGR of 31.0% during the estimated period.

End-Use Insights

Smart fabrics are used in applications, such as fashion & entertainment, medical, protection & military, architecture, and transportation. The sports & fitness segment is anticipated to witness substantial growth by 2025. Smart textiles possess the ability to react to stimuli generated from mechanical, thermal, magnetic, chemical, and electrical sources. Due to these abilities, it can be used in sophisticated electronics devices including fitness watches and belts for monitoring health and body vitals in real-time.

The defense & military segment accounted for the largest market share of 27.87% in 2018. The integration of these products with electronic products offers a lightweight option against heavy batteries integrated with garments used in defense & military. In the future, warrior systems are anticipated to be equipped with wireless weapons, chemical and biological threat detectors, heads-up display, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and battery power for enhanced safety. Furthermore, the product is also used in medical applications, mainly to reduce the recovery time. Rising population across the globe has created the demand for improved healthcare and medical facilities, which is contributing to the market growth.

Regional Insights

North America is expected to hold the largest share of the global market by 2025 and is also projected to be the fastest-growing regional market. This can be attributed to the increasing product demand in the transportation and healthcare industries in North America. The Asia Pacific is also anticipated to witness steady growth in the years to come.

The availability of low-cost raw materials and labor in Asian countries, such as China, Japan, and India, has transformed it into a manufacturing hub for such technology. This has led to a decline in the overall production of smart fabrics in the European region. However, an increasing number of R&D activities for such intelligent fabrics sponsored within the EU FP6 and FP7 programs are revitalizing the industry in the European countries.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Key companies, such as Adidas AG O’Neill and Nike Inc., are anticipated to hold a significant share in the market owing to their competencies in performance clothing. Other key industry players include Auxetix, Eriksen, Fibretronic Limited, Clothing+, Exo2, ThermoSoft International, Gentherm, and Peratech Ltd. System integrators, such as Interactive Wear and Fibretronix, are likely to be the leading integrators engaged in the encapsulation of electronics, integration with textile structures, and electronics & industrial design.

Institutes, such as North Carolina State University College of Textiles, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and the Tampere University of Technology, are expected to play an important role in product development and testing, particularly in collaboration with the system integrators. The Center for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials (CeNTI) in Portugal has invented an innovative intelligent fabric that generates enough power to light clothes.

Such institutes are focusing on utilizing this technic optimally for various conventional appliances, such as charging portable electronics devices with no reliance on traditional electrical networks. Additionally, extensive research activities focused on the commercialization of self-cleaning fabrics are aimed at improving the quality of life.

Smart Fabrics Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue and volume growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2015 to 2025. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global smart fabrics market report based on product, end-use, functionality, and region

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025)

  • Passive

  • Active

  • Very Smart

• End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025)

  • Fashion & Entertainment

  • Sports & Fitness

  • Medical

  • Transportation

  • Protection & Military

  • Architecture

• Functionality Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025)

  • Sensing

  • Energy Harvesting

  • Luminescence & Aesthetics

  • Thermoelectricity

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025)

  • North America

    • The U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • U.K.

    • Germany

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa