1. Custom Tailoring on Demand
Retailers are using smartphones and body scanning tech to solve one of the biggest pain points of online apparel shopping: clothing that doesn’t fit right. MTailor, for instance, has shoppers download an app that takes a measurement video, which is then converted into a 3-D model and plugged into its fitting algorithms. The process takes less than 30 seconds, according to the company, and is 20% more accurate than a professional tailor. Japanese brand Zozo sends online shoppers a measurement-taking polka-dotted bodysuit to help create bespoke clothing. Amazon is also experimenting in this realm. It purchased Body Labs, a 3-D body scanning startup, to study body sizing and clothing fit. “The time where people adapt to clothing is over; this is a new era where clothes adapt to people,” Zozo CEO Yusaku Maezawa told Reuters.

2. Move Over, Cotton
The fashion industry, as a whole, is one of the most environmentally damaging. Synthetic fibers like polyester pollute the oceans, and cotton production typically involves harsh chemicals and is resource-intensive. (By some estimates, it takes 713 gallons of water to make one cotton tee.) So, it’s no wonder companies are looking at alternatives. Bolt Threads is developing artificial spider silk, a soft and strong bio-material that could make long-lasting, lightweight, sustainable apparel. Algiknit produces textile fiber using kelp. Other companies are making shoes and clothing out of algae. Reebok has been working toward compostable footwear with its Cotton + Corn shoe, which has a cotton upper and corn-based sole. Crop-A-Porter makes sustainable textiles using leftovers from food crop harvests – an innovation that nabbed it a $350,000 Global Change Award.

3. Want a New Look? Download It
Fashion designers are already experimenting with 3-D printing. Tel Aviv-based designer Danit Peleg showed off a 3-D printed dress at Paris Fashion Week this year. Adidas began selling shoes with 3-D printed soles in January, and Nike and New Balance are developing 3-D printed shoes as well. Though it’s still far in the future, some tech experts foresee a time when people will be able to print out customized garments at a store or even at home. “We used to buy CDs, and we had to go to the physical stores to get music and now we can just download it everywhere,” Peleg told NBC News. “I believe that the same thing will happen with fashion eventually – clothes will become more and more digital.”

4. Never Wash Your Shirt Again
Hate doing laundry? Nanotech may be the answer. A company called Lotusshirt has a wrinkle-free, moisture-wicking men’s dress shirt in development that uses nanoscopic fibers to mimic the “hypdrophobic structure” of the lotus leaf, meaning it repels most liquids. A video on the company’s Kickstarter page shows a glob of ketchup rolling right off the shirt onto the floor, leaving no stain behind. And scientists in Australia are working on self-cleaning clothes. They grew 3-D copper and silver nanostructures on cotton thread, which was then woven into fabric. When exposed to light, the nanostructures absorbed the energy, exciting the metal atoms and breaking down grime on the fabric in a matter of minutes. Nanotechnology is also being used to develop flexible fabric sensors that could usher in a new era of smart clothing.

5. Wear Your Phone Charger
Few things are more annoying than a dying phone battery and no charger in sight. But, experts say, energy is all around us. The trick is figuring out how to store it, so you can keep your smart clothing and gadgets running. Researchers at Georgia Tech have created energy-harvesting yarns that can be woven into washable textiles. The yarns take advantage of static electricity that builds from friction. Last year, Samsung patented a smart shirt with an energy harvester in the back that would generate electricity from body movement. Google’s Jacquard technology weaves wearable technology functionality into a fabric. And over at the University of Texas at Dallas, researchers are experimenting with yarn made from carbon nanotubes that generate a tiny electrical current when they’re placed side by side and stretched.

6. Fake Models With Real Influence
Some of the biggest brand influencers on social platforms aren’t even human. Shudu Gram, known as the world’s first “digital supermodel,” has 139,000 followers on Instagram. And Miquela Sousa, nicknamed Lil Miquela, boasts 1.4 million followers on the photo-sharing app. Initially created as a digital art project, the virtual girl shows off designer outfits, supports social causes and even drops original singles on Spotify. The trend of artificial influencers has many detractors, who say the practice is deceptive and perpetuates unrealistic beauty standards. Others say it’s all in good fun and that online followers are savvy enough to realize these digital divas aren’t real women.

Product Hub
Find the latest in quality products, must-know trends and fresh ideas for upcoming end-buyer campaigns.