LOOMIA wants to make your textiles smarter. The Brooklyn-based tech company just announced their partnership with L.L. Bean, who will be integrating their flexible LEL (Loomia Electronic Layer, a textile featuring flexible “apparel-friendly connectors“) to monitor and sense when and how customers are using their apparel. This information could be used to record “temperature, frequency of wear and number of washes, could show whether customers use the products as intended and whether new products live up to supplier promises” (more on that partnership here).
This technology could revolutionize product development across all industries, and while L.L. Bean specializes is outdoor gear, we at Fieldtex can’t help but see this textile technology innovating military and medical textile applications. The equal demands for durability and comfort go hand and hand in these industries, and utilizing this textile technology could not only lead to more effective and high-performance garments, but new products altogether.
We were lucky enough to connect with the ingenious Madison Maxey, Founder and Technical Lead of LOOMIA, in early 2017. After hearing about their new partnership, we can’t wait to see what was next for the company.
Fieldtex: What first interested you about smart textiles?
Image courtesy of LOOMIA.
Maxey: Textiles make up much of the world around us, yet it’s hard goods that get all of the intelligence and active function. I wanted to find ways to bring more utility to the textile goods we use everyday.
What aspects of life do you think smart textiles will change most? What innovations are you most excited about?
I’m excited about simple and useful things like heated jackets and shirts that monitor body temperature for the elderly.
How do you think smart textiles will revolutionize the medical field and military field?
We’re excited about the idea of “lightening the load” for soldiers by allowing them to carry less garments (active heating and potentially cooling) and providing more comfort and safety with on garment sensing.
What are Loomia’s plans for the future?
We’re excited to see our LOOMIA Electronic Layer in products past apparel like automotive and furniture. We’re working towards that future!
All images used with permission from LOOMIA.