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Vishal Khairnar
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How Fashion Tech Could Be the Coolest Weapon Against Climate Change
For decades, fashion has been synonymous with glamour, aesthetics, and indulgence. But as global temperatures rise, clothing is taking on a far greater role—survival gear against climate change. With over 3.6 billion people vulnerable to extreme heat and nearly 480,000 annual deaths from heat-related causes, the way we design and wear clothes is no longer just about style, but about resilience.
Reimagining Clothing as Climate Infrastructure
A quiet yet groundbreaking revolution is taking place in Hong Kong. At The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Prof. Dahua Shou and his team at the School of Fashion and Textiles are developing intelligent, sustainable personal cooling systems that could change the way we think about fashion.
Unlike passive cooling fabrics, which merely wick sweat or reflect sunlight, PolyU’s designs treat garments as dynamic systems. By combining thermodynamics, AI-driven wearables, and advanced textiles, these smart garments actively regulate body temperature, predicting overheating and adjusting cooling power in real time.
From Prototype to Wardrobe: Fashion That Works Smarter
Prototypes already exist, and they’re remarkably fashion-forward:
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iActive™ sportswear uses low-voltage “artificial sweat glands” and a root-like liquid network to eject sweat up to 3x faster than the human body.
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OmniCoolDry™ fabric reflects solar and ground radiation while emitting mid-infrared body heat, reducing skin temperature by up to 5°C.
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SweatMD channels perspiration through microfluidic yarns, monitoring biomarkers like glucose and potassium for insights into fatigue and hydration.
What makes these designs revolutionary is their aesthetic plausibility. Instead of bulky wires or battery packs, these garments are lightweight, washable, and durable, looking more like everyday sportswear or uniforms than wearable gadgets.
Sustainability at the Core
The environmental impact is equally promising. With air conditioning responsible for 10% of global electricity use—and demand expected to triple by 2050—personal cooling could drastically reduce dependence on energy-heavy systems. PolyU’s smart garments even use recyclable materials and solar-powered energy harvesting, eliminating reliance on external grids.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
Of course, hurdles remain: heavy perspiration can reduce fabric efficiency, adaptive thermoregulation is complex across diverse climates, and standardised cooling metrics are still lacking. But the PolyU research offers a blueprint for how fashion-tech might mature—with collaborations between textiles, electronics, and AI developers making “intelligent fashion” a mainstream reality.
A New Era for Fashion
Fashion has always reflected the spirit of its time. Today, as extreme heat becomes an existential threat, clothing is evolving from a seasonal indulgence to climate infrastructure. The future of style may not just be about trends—it may be about survival.
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