The innovation arm of MAS Holdings, Twinery, has taken the next step towards smarter soft goods. It has unveiled a programme, the Twinery Open Challenge, inviting inventors from any discipline or industry with innovative concepts. The challenges include wetness indicator for underwear, eco-friendly quick-dry material, and comfortable labels for lace panties.

MAS Holdings, South Asia's largest apparel manufacturer, has been on the frontlines of manufacturing active, sports and intimate wear with the intent of maximising human performance and comfort for the past thirty years. Twinery intends to take this further by integrating intelligence into the interface human bodies are in constant contact with - fabrics - in order to enhance efficiency and ease in day-to-day life.

Twinery believes in humanising technology by integrating it seamlessly into people’s lives through the medium of textiles. Human skin is always next to soft goods and Twinery is driving towards equipping these fabrics with the potential to enhance the human experience, pushing the functionality of fabrics further. The programme is designed to connect the company with partners who have ideas to bring revolutionary new textile innovations to life.

The Twinery Open Challenge is open to individual inventors, startups, established companies, academic teams and others who have product concepts from any industry that can be applied in the soft goods and fabric sector. Twinery believes that the best innovations are born when different disciplines and industries share ideas to solve problems and create novel products.

"We don't want to reinvent the wheel but rather use the entire world as a resource pool to identify the best talent and inventions," says Twinery director of Technology Sithila Dassanayake. "For innovators, this programme is a great way to turn knowledge and ideas into cash. It's also an excellent way for academics, engineers, inventors, research labs, and others with breakthrough ideas to join the community of innovators and get the resources they need to improve people's lives with smart soft goods products."

"We've got the lab facilities, relationships and expertise to take innovations to market. We're convinced that solutions to problems and great new inventions are out there. The Twinery Open Challenge crowd-sources innovation to bring problem-solving products to the market faster."

Innovators can browse the open challenges Twinery regularly posts online, and if they have a solution - whether a seed concept, existing startup or developing product - they can submit an idea using a sample online form. Participants can also share ideas that aren't related to specific challenges - any concept that utilises technology to enhance efficiency and ease in day-to-day life is welcome.

Low – grade cotton with the feel of platinum cotton and swimwear for menstruation are other challenges in the programme. (SV)