The second international conference on Functional Textiles & Clothing (FTC) is being organised by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) from February 7-9, 2020, in New Delhi. FTC will be held in partnership with World University of Design, Haryana—a budding design university of India, and PSG Tech. Coimbatore—a leading textile college in South India.

A biannual international conference, FTC provides a platform for leading academic scientists, researchers, designers and entrepreneurs to have in-depth exchanges on latest scientific developments, cutting edge technologies, innovations, trends, concerns, challenges and opportunities in the field of functional textiles and clothing.

“Functional clothing comprises clothing that is designed to deliver specific functionalities to users, over and above their usual functions. Functional clothing items can be classified as Protective clothing, Sports clothing, Medical clothing, Vanity clothing and clothing for military applications that performs multiple functions. Smart clothing items equipped with sensors and processors for monitoring of body parameters are a fast-growing segment of this market. The market for functional clothing is predicted to reach $244.6 billion by 2025,” the organisers said in a press release.

Functional clothing is driven by developments in the field of textile materials as well as apparel production processes. Conductive textiles, composites and membranes, new fabrics, surface functionalisation techniques, innovative finishes and coatings and nanotechnology are the emerging areas. CAD CAM technologies including those for 3D and 4D body measurement, pattern design, fit testing and mass customisation, clothing comfort, clothing for special groups and innovative fashion design are growing fields. Internet of things, artificial intelligence, deep learning and virtual reality tools are used to design clothing that is smart, responsive and closer to the needs of the user, the organisers said.

India is amongst the largest producers and consumers of clothing in the world. A large population and availability of raw materials is adding fuel to the production of apparel in the country. Rising aspirations of the middle class, increasing incomes and greater awareness of market trends amongst Indian consumers is providing a strong push to this market segment. The drivers for growth are employment generation, innovation, product development, entrepreneurship and contemporarisation of traditional textiles and crafts. Sustainability is an important consideration for all sectors of the textile and clothing value chain.

The FTC organising committee is inviting abstracts from students and researchers in the form of oral and poster presentations. Authors have to submit a one-page abstract.

A specialised 5-day pre-conference workshop titled ‘Anthropometry, Patternmaking and Clothing Fit’ would be held from February 2-6, 2020. The workshop would be conducted by Daisy Veitch, an experienced anthropometrist and pattern making professional who directed the Australian National Size and Shape Survey in 2002.

In addition, the organisers have planned some events that are specifically planned to encourage design, innovation and product development activities amongst students and young entrepreneurs. The textile product/process innovation contest invites students from round the world to showcase innovative textile products having application in medical, sports, defence or any other field. The fashion product innovation contest invites entries from innovative fashion products/clothing incorporating an innovative technology or performing an innovative function. For poster contest, students in different areas of functional textiles and clothing can submit poster abstracts. (RKS)