“We used to put odor-eaters in the soles of our shoes,” says Ingrid Johnson, “But what about socks that eliminate odor?” Just as the ability exists to put moisture-emitting “nano-whiskers” into fabric, we can also put nano-sized odor eliminating materials into fabric. According to Ingrid, athletic wear companies have already begun experimenting with this and Brooks Brothers and Hanes have introduced “odor-control” underwear. “We are at the beginning of this funnel,” says Ingrid, who believes that one day smelly locker rooms will be a thing of the past.

Much like odor-zapping socks, bacteria-zapping underwear could mark the future of lingerie and the end to icky urinary tract and yeast infections. “Using nano-technology, we could embed fabric with anti-microbial nano-fibers to stop infection and fungal growth,” says Gindy Neidermyer, Program Director and Associate Professor of Apparel Design and Development for University of Wisconsin-Scout. A Chilean company, Monarch, has recently developed underwear made from copper nano-fibers. According to a Monarch press release, “copper can kill the bacteria and fungi that develops down there.”

“Researchers are already experimenting with electronic textiles,” says Gindy Neidermyer. “One day we might not have to plug our cell phones into the wall to charge it. Instead it might charge in our pocket through solar power or from the conductive energy of nano-fibers. “I know a researcher who created a garment that knows where you are and tells you whether to turn right or left,” says Van Dyk Lewis, associate professor in the Human Ecology -- Fiber Science and Apparel Design at Cornell. “Future applications could be GPS embedded in your clothing. You’d program where you want to go and your garment vibrates when you need to make a turn.” However Van Dyk says before we see it on the market, scientists will have to study if this would be harmful to the human body. “Researchers tend to develop things, then think about the physiology after,” he says.

“Spray-on clothing has become quite a field, especially in Europe,” says Gindy Neidermyer. “It’s touted as the ultimate custom fit. It’s basically in a can and the fiber mats together when you spray it, instead of needing to be woven.” Gindy says while the spray-on clothing is a developed technology, there are major kinks that need to be worked out before it is marketable. “As is, you have to wash it off and you can’t reuse it,” says Gindy. “Culturally I’m not sure this would have any more than a spectacle factor. When I wear clothes, I want to feel like I’m cocooned or enveloped in some kind of way. Also, what if it rains? What if it’s cold outside?” adds Ingrid. “It’s a nice idea but I don’t think we’ll see that for a few centuries...” says Van Dyk Lewis.

“If you told me I could have a suit in an office-appropriate color such as navy during the day and it turned red at night, I’d buy it,” says Ingrid Johnson. While scientifically, we are not quite there, textile designers have experimented with clothing for years that changes colors. “There was a line for kids called Hyper-color sold in Bloomingdales in 1988. It changed color where your body was warmer. When people realized it was changing colors in the armpit and crotch area, it was immediately pulled,” says Ingrid. “Freaky Freezies were popular children’s gloves in the 80s,” she says. “They changed color when the temperature changed.” According to Gindy Neidermyer, color-change in fabrics isn’t new, but one company Chameleon International has a new way of applying it. “It’s a finish you spray on. “I could see it having medical applications, used to analyze where a body is changing temperature. As a clothing designer I might use it for a rain coat. The fabric would change color as the rain hit it creating a rainbow-esque design.” Van Dyk Lewis thinks color-changing clothing is “gimmicky.” “I don’t think this one’s got legs. The finish doesn’t look terribly good (it doesn’t create true colors) and for a garment that changes color from day to night, I’m not sure how you’d establish permanent color.”

“Imagine if you flicked a switch on your garment to provide air conditioning and heating,” says Gindy Neidermyer. “Moisture-wicking fabric already exists, it’s made out of polyester and wicks the perspiration away to keep you comfortable and cooler. Taking this a step further, using nano-technology you could create a walking environment where you’d actually feel the warmth or coolness.” Gindy says working with silver, you could create a conductive nano-fiber that could be charged to heat up or cool down. “It would be like your home’s heating and air conditioning but built into your clothes,” she says.

“People hold onto tradition,” says Van Dyk Lewis. “We are still stuck on traditional clothing pieces, the idea that we need a suit, a jacket, a shirt, pants to make up a wardrobe... If we can break through this and free ourselves from the sewing machine there are endless new possibilities.” At Cornell, Van Dyk says students use a new machine called a Sonobond, which uses sound waves to meld materials together. “If we were to design a cutting-edge wardrobe now, it would be bonded not stitched. We are no longer tied to patterns,” Van Dyk says. He predicts a resurgence in reversible clothing, which was popular in the late 60s. “Its not new, but we are better at doing it,” says Van Dyk. “Modern fabric and machines like the Sonobond make reversible garments look almost seamless.”