Khaberni - The fashion industry is witnessing a radical transformation led by technological innovation, with smart and sustainable clothing taking the forefront, introducing a new concept of comfort and elegance at once.
While advanced fabrics such as stain-resistant or antibacterial were previously confined to sports or professional domains, today they are expanding to invade the world of ready-to-wear clothing, in a move aimed at simplifying daily life and considering the environment simultaneously.
Olivier Bala, president of French advanced textiles company "Bala Textile," said in a statement to the French news agency that luxury brands and major brands are now looking to offer more than just aesthetic appearance, by integrating technology with design to provide comfort and functionality to consumers.
He added that the idea is based on "designing pieces that combine innovation, elegance, and sustainability, to meet people's needs in their daily lives."
In this context, startups specialized in developing smart clothing have emerged, among them the Spanish brand "Sepia," founded in 2016, which recently won the National Innovation Prize for small and medium-sized companies for 2025.
Its founder, engineer Fede Sáinz de Robles, states that the goal is "to apply the latest textile technologies in everyday clothes to make them more comfortable and sustainable."
"Sepia" offers a variety of shirts, trousers, and jackets designed to avoid creases and provide elegance without the need for ironing, thanks to innovative technical fibers that generate a natural anti-wrinkle effect.
In France, the brand "Sigel" has adopted the same approach since its establishment in 2014, using high-performance synthetic fibers resistant to wear and tear and pilling, in addition to treatments that make the fabrics stain and liquid repellent and easy to wash.
Despite the higher prices of these clothes compared to traditional products, manufacturers affirm that their durability and long lifespan make them a practical and economical investment in the long term, as well as contributing to reducing the environmental impact of an industry that is one of the most polluting, contributing about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Bank.
Robles believes that the environmental problem lies not only in the manufacturing process but also in the usage stage, pointing out that about 60% of the environmental impact of clothes comes from washing, ironing, and using detergents.
Therefore, reducing washing cycles and choosing more sustainable fabrics can make a real difference in reducing the carbon footprint.
Julietta Mercera, an expert in sustainability at the "Première Vision" trade show in Paris, explained that there is an increasing trend towards learning to understand and care for fabrics to prolong their life, noting that growing consumer awareness pushes brands to focus on quality rather than quantity.
These innovations aim to combat the "fast fashion" culture, which produces vast amounts of clothing used for short periods and then discarded.
As Bertrand Durand-Gasselin, founder of "Sigel," says, "sustainability does not only mean manufacturing environmentally friendly clothes, but also includes how they are used and cared for."
