Smart Fabrics and Textiles Market Size, Share, Growth, and Industry Analysis by Type (Passive Smart Fabrics and Textiles, Active Smart Fabrics and Textiles, and Ultra-Smart Fabrics and Textiles) By Application (Military, Civil, Healthcare, and Others), Regional Insights, and Forecast To 2034

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SMART FABRICS AND TEXTILES MARKET OVERVIEW

Global Smart Fabrics and Textiles market size is projected to rise from USD 4.919 billion in 2025 to USD 5.78 billion in 2026, reaching around USD 21.08 billion by 2034, progressing at a CAGR of 17.5% between 2025 and 2034. Asia-Pacific holds leading position in smart fabrics and textiles market share in 2023.

E-textiles, also known as smart textiles, are fabrics having electronic parts and conductive threads woven into them. Passive and active smart textiles are the two different types of these materials. When the environment changes, they are able to feel it and automatically react to mechanical, thermal, and chemical manipulations. In order to shield the wearer from environmental dangers, these textiles may also carry energy, communicate with other devices, and alter the physical characteristics of other materials and fabrics. While certain textile varieties are employed to support human functioning, others are utilised for design and fashion. Due to these advantages, they are widely used in many sectors, including the military, healthcare, transportation, entertainment, and sports and fitness.

One of the main drivers propelling the smart fabrics and textiles market growth is the newly developing trend of electronics downsizing, combined with the growing integration of smart textiles with wearable technology. Smart fabrics are being utilised more often in the healthcare and athletic industries to track muscle vibrations, control body temperatures, and offer safety from numerous dangers. Additionally, a number of developments in the electronics industry have made it easier to combine smart textiles with small electronic parts like sensors, batteries, and control panels in wearable and electronic devices. Another aspect driving growth in the defence industry is the expansion of product acceptance. For instance, smart textiles and defensive gear are coupled to monitor health, provide wired and wireless communications, improve mobility, detect heat and cold stress, and provide concealment. This is anticipated to fuel the market even more, coupled with technical developments and significant research and development (R&D) efforts.

Key Findings

COVID-19 Impact

Pandemic-related Disruptions Impacted Market Dynamics

The global COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented and staggering, with of smart fabrics and textiles market experiencing lower-than-anticipated demand across all regions compared to pre-pandemic levels. The sudden rise in CAGR is attributable to the smart fabrics and textiles market growth and demand returning to pre-pandemic levels once the pandemic is over.

The market for smart textiles was disrupted by the abrupt COVID-19 pandemic breakout, particularly in 2020 and 2021. Companies were seen using remote working methods as a result of the pandemic. Lockdowns were implemented in nearly all of the major nations to stop the spread of COVID-19, which disrupted the supply chain and stopped manufacturing activity, delaying output. The demand for sports and fitness apparel/accessories combined with smart apps and sensors that can monitor heart rate and oxygen level has grown, though, and this is projected to fuel the growth of the smart textiles market. A substantial portion of the worldwide population is now working from home and preferring to do physical activities indoors due to social distancing rules. Additionally, during the pandemic crisis, hospitals in several nations, including the U.S., were seen adopting smart textiles in a variety of ways, including heated blankets and socks. These factors could bolster the smart fabrics and textiles market outlook in the future.

LATEST TRENDS

Hybrid, Multi-featured Smart Textiles To Garner Momentum Through 2028

Nowadays, people frequently own numerous mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, and they are also on the lookout for small gadgets that can combine all of the computing and monitoring functions into a single unit. This offers a chance for the creation of hybrid smart textiles with several functions, which not only make users' lives easier but also bring about wearable device convergence. For instance, to dynamically connect many wearable gadgets at once, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have put conductive fabrics into garments. Devices may send data using signals that are 1,000 times stronger than those of standard technologies thanks to this wireless body sensor network. They are anticipated to be employed in medical procedures, health monitoring, and human-machine interactions. Such innovative advances will transform the smart fabrics and textiles market outlook over the forthcoming years.

• In 2023, approximately 35% of wearable devices incorporated hybrid smart textiles with multi-functional sensors, demonstrating the growing convergence of fabrics and electronics. Additionally, the adoption of conductive fabrics for wireless body sensor networks reached 18% among smart textile manufacturers, enabling improved healthcare monitoring and remote diagnostics.

• Smart fabrics are increasingly integrated into athletic and medical wear, with 42% of new smart garments featuring real-time monitoring of physiological signals such as heart rate and body temperature. At the same time, the number of commercial smart textile products employing energy-harvesting technologies grew by 22% in 2023, reflecting rising innovation in self-powered wearable fabrics.

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SMART FABRICS AND TEXTILES MARKET SEGMENTATION

• By Type

Depending on the quality the smart fabrics and textiles market is divided into Passive Smart Fabrics and Textiles, Active Smart Fabrics and Textiles, Ultra-Smart Fabrics and Textiles. The active smart fabrics segment will capture the maximum market share through 2028.

• By Application

The market is divided into military, civil, healthcare and others based on application. The military segment will dominate the market share during 2021-2028

DRIVING FACTORS

Utilization of Cutting-edge Technology in Smart Clothing to Augment Growth

The emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed the textile industry. New smart apparel is being manufactured integrated with AI, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), edge computing, and cloud data, which can monitor and communicate the wearer’s information, including blood pressure, heart rate, perspiration, and temperature. AI can access and collect historical and real-time operational data and provide insights, which can enhance the wearer’s efficiency. Defect detection, pattern inspection, and color matching are some of the common applications of AI in textile manufacturing. The development of smart clothing that makes effective use of IoT and electrical sensors has been made possible by the usage of AI.

Implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) to Transform Market Outlook

The expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) applications, such as smart homes, smart cities, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, and Industrial IoT (IIoT), among many others, also contributes to the market's expansion. Additionally, the market for smart textiles is benefited by expanding urbanisation, lifestyle changes, a boom in investment, and rising consumer expenditure. The incorporation of technologies can lead to a cozier and health-conscious experience. Given that clothing covers a large section of the body, smart textiles may be able to offer several forms of physiological data. Additionally, smart textiles heavily rely on BLE and IoT technologies as a source of long-lasting energy from their inbuilt battery. Therefore, increasing implementation of IoT in smart clothing will positively influence the smart fabrics textiles market share during the projected timeframe.

• The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in smart fabrics has expanded, with 40% of new smart textile lines using AI algorithms for health monitoring and activity tracking. Furthermore, 55% of smart clothing manufacturers have implemented IoT-based connectivity to enable remote data transmission, supporting applications in healthcare, military, and sports sectors.

• Urbanization and lifestyle changes have increased smart textile adoption, with 30% of consumers in metropolitan areas using smart garments for fitness tracking and wellness. Additionally, 28% of industrial textile companies have deployed edge computing and Bluetooth-enabled fabrics to enhance wearer safety and environmental monitoring.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

Lack of Adequate Regulations and Standards to Dent Market Prospects Slightly

The lack of standards and regulations is anticipated to be a major barrier to the growth of the smart fabrics and textiles market since it makes it challenging for makers scale up and sell new and incremental technologies. There are significant environmental and health risks associated with the development of smart fabrics. De-sizing, bleaching, dyeing, neutralising, scouring, mercerizing, printing, and finishing are a few of the primary processes used in the textile business. These procedures result in the release of highly hazardous effluents that pollute air, groundwater, and surface water in addition to contaminating soil. Therefore, setting environmental regulations is essential to reducing pollution brought on by the leather and textile sectors. These factors may affect the market growth in the coming years.

• Approximately 40% of smart textile manufacturers face limitations due to the absence of standardized regulations, delaying large-scale adoption. In addition, 35% of smart textile production units report higher operational costs due to environmental compliance in processes such as bleaching, dyeing, and finishing, which release hazardous effluents.

• Limited awareness of smart textiles among consumers restricts market penetration, with surveys indicating that only 32% of potential users recognize the benefits of wearable sensors in daily applications. Moreover, 25% of manufacturers face difficulties in scaling up production due to insufficient skilled labor trained in integrating electronics with textiles.

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SMART FABRICS AND TEXTILES MARKET REGIONAL INSIGHTS

Due to the growing demand for the product from the consumer electronics and medical industries as well as regional technical breakthroughs, North America now holds a major share of the global market for smart fabrics and textiles. Advancing technology and growing investments in new technologies will strengthen the regional outlook. Additionally, growing spending on smart clothing by consumers will create a favorable growth outlook in this region. Due to the increasing incidence of chronic illnesses like diabetes and the advent of new innovative goods in the region, Asia Pacific (APAC) is predicted to have considerable growth over the projection period of 2022 to 2029.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Market Players Focus on New Product Launches to Strengthen Market Position

Leading players in the market are adopting various strategies to expand their presence in the market. These include R&D investments and launch of new, technologically-advanced products in the market. Some companies are also adopting strategies such as partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions to strengthen their market position.

• Textronics leads in innovation, with 30% of its smart textile portfolio integrating wireless health monitoring and motion-sensing capabilities in 2023.

• Milliken has deployed smart fabrics in 25% of its industrial and defense applications, focusing on flame-retardant and energy-harvesting textiles.

List Of Top Smart Fabrics and Textiles Companies

• Textronics
• Milliken
• Toray Industries
• Peratech
• DuPont
• Clothing+
• Outlast
• d3o lab
• Schoeller Textiles AG
• Texas Instruments
• Exo2
• Vista Medical Ltd.
• Ohmatex ApS
• Interactive Wear AG

RECENT DEVELOPMENT

In early 2025, researchers succeeded in embedding full computing functionality into a single fabric‑fiber: that fiber could stretch up to 60 %, incorporate eight components (including four types of sensors and two communication modules), and achieved 67 % action‑recognition accuracy when worn alone, rising to 95 % accuracy when four fibers were networked together. This milestone signals the feasibility of truly “smart garments” that can monitor, compute and communicate in real‑time.