technofashion

Technofashion is a field at the intersection of fashion design and technology, focused on creating clothing and accessories that incorporate electronic systems, smart materials, or digital processes. It encompasses wearable electronics, e-textiles, 3D-printed components, and computational design methods that enable interactivity, sensing, or adaptive behavior.

Historically, developments in wearable computing and smart textiles in the late 20th and early 21st centuries laid the groundwork for technofashion. Research laboratories, universities, and industry have collaborated to embed sensors, LEDs, conductive fibers, and microprocessors into garments, with advances in wireless communication, power sources, and textile durability expanding practical applications.

Applications span consumer wearables integrated into everyday clothing, performance or medical garments that monitor vital signs, interactive costumes for performances, and fashion-forward prototypes presented in runways or exhibitions. In addition to design, technofashion relies on material science, electronics, and data-driven design to explore form, function, and user experience.

Considerations in technofashion include usability and washability of electronic components, safety and privacy of collected data, sustainability and lifecycle impacts, and interoperability among devices and standards. The field remains multidisciplinary, with ongoing research addressing durability, comfort, and mass-market viability while expanding the expressive and functional potential of clothing.