H&M wants smart clothes to compete with wearables from Apple and other consumer electronics brands
- Smart clothing has not taken off yet, but the Swedish fast fashion brand continues to look for killer applications that will win over sceptical buyers
- H&M’s chief technology officer wants it to design clothes that compete with electronic wearables, such as by telling you your heart rate or hydration level
Fast fashion brand H&M’s chief technology officer is trying to make smart clothing mainstream, at a time when clothing manufacturers are struggling with complex supply chains and environmental pressure.
Alan Boehme is examining how H&M’s clothes could monitor your heart rate or hydration levels, and how artificial intelligence could shrink H&M’s supply chain, potentially decreasing the company’s carbon footprint. In September, H&M couldn’t keep up with demand because of delays and disruptions of product flows.
The Swedish company’s tech focus comes at a crucial time for the clothing industry, as people increasingly move from shopping at bricks-and-mortar stores to shopping online and fast fashion brands come under fire for their often negative environmental impact.
Clothing companies have been experimenting with how to integrate technology into garments; these have so far struggled to gain meaningful sales. Levi’s produced a run of jackets with Google, which used Bluetooth in the cuffs to communicate with your smartphone, while Nadi X makes yoga gear that uses vibrations to improve your technique.
H&M partnered with fashion-tech company Boltware during the pandemic to create a denim jacket that can mimic a hug. Consumers were allowed to vote if the design would be developed, but demand was not strong enough to make the jacket available for sale.