Uniforms That Combat Body Odor?

Monday 04th of January 2010 06:58:47 AM

There is so much research going on in the textile industry that it’s not surprising when new kinds of fabric are introduced. But there is a new fabric hitting the market already that could eventually change how uniforms are made. This fabric is amazing because it combats body odor.

The fabric was made for workwear by an Australian company named King Gee. The fabric is called smart clothing and uses nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is considered to be the wave of the future. Clothes made out of this unique kind of fabric are called “smart clothing” as mentioned because the fabric can respond and provide benefits to the wearer depending on the circumstances. The idea is that clothing will become multi-purpose. For example, there might be a solar tie that can charge electronic devices or clothes that change color. In fact some printed t-shirts that change color were sold last year. Though this kind of clothing has a long way to go before it is affordable and generally accepted, the possibilities are endless.

The Australian King Gees has applied the nanotechnology to workwear clothing, but CSIRO of Australia has a larger view of how this technology will work. The CSIRO has taken a leading role in clothing research and development. The company is working in the area of textile and fiber technology to produce high tech yarns, clothes that can be tracked by GPS systems, and clothes that will automatically seal a wound.

Some of these capabilities in clothing would obviously provide the most benefit on the field of battle or in the mining industry where workers need to be tracked. But like most technology, there is no doubt that fun and interesting fashion designs will eventually emerge from the research. Right now many of the applications being tested are in the areas of medicine, military, and sports. But mainstream fashion is sure to benefit when the technology becomes more affordable.