Isaac Man, General Manager of Fibretronic, with outdoor products.

Hong Kong's Fibretronic is pushing the advantage of "smart" clothing with its Connected Wear. It believes that the concept of wearable electronics has far further to run as a commercial proposition, even though electronically-connected wear has been around for about 10 years.

Connected Wear was launched last year, essentially supplying control components for garments. It's a plug-and-play system of integrated controls developed specifically for wearable electronic applications. These allow the wearer to be connected to an iPod or iPhone, a host of MP3 and audio players, mobile phones, music phones and Bluetooth devices.

Garments and soft goods fitted with Connected Wear keypads or joysticks can be fitted to any electronic controller in the Connected Wear range.

Some of the world's leading apparel brands are already integrating Connected Wear controls into their new products, say Fibretronic executives. Already in use are outerwear and casual jackets, hoodies and fleece, softshell jackets, suits, blazers, trousers and jeans, as well as gloves, backpacks and bags.

Joystick embedded in a ski glove.

Apparel brands integrating technology.

The company has been licensed by Apple Inc to develop its "made-for-iPod" products.

Integrated communications systems in outerwear and bags allow for "hands-free" operation of two-way radios and mobile phones. The technology can either be a permanent integration in the garment or become self-contained modules for attachment to garments.

Fibretronic has collected an extensive list of customers, including Adidas, Levi's, The North Face, Marks and Spencer, Reusch, Samsonite, Kombi, US Airforce, O'Neill, Oxbow and Decathlon.

Founded in 2004 by an Australian living in the UK and an American living in the US, Fibretronic rose out of an idea which took root in 1999 when giant jeans brand Levi Strauss and Co and electronics major Philips backed the concept.

Lefty (left) and Faiolo: aim to supply advanced garments.

Stephen Lefty, Fibretronic CEO, was formerly in the aerospace industry and Jeff Faiolo, Director, became involved while also running his family business, Zabin Group, which is an established supplier of clothing accessories with metal fastenings, buttons, labels and hangtags.

International outdoor brand The North Face was then looking for a component to house the heating device in a jacket; the project brought the Fibretronic founders together.

"Asia, especially [the Chinese mainland], is where textiles and clothing and electronics are produced and Hong Kong is the ideal location for our company," said Steve Lefty. "Our mission is to supply advanced materials our customers' need to create innovative and revolutionary products for the future."

The company is currently focused on the technological sector, particularly sportswear and outdoor wear. In the future there's the entire medical field to address.

Zabin was headquartered in the US but 11 years ago moved to Hong Kong for manufacturing and sourcing capabilities on the Chinese mainland, so it was natural to establish Fibretronic in Hong Kong.

Bluetooth application imbedded in a fabric.

Tying in with Zabin enables Fibretronic to provide a comprehensive production process including, printing, moulding, embossing, sewing, assemblage of soft components, manufacture electronic connectivity, quality control and validation testing, concept design and prototyping.

Hong Kong is the company's headquarters for research and development and sales and marketing, while manufacturing is carried out in Dongguan, with sales offices in the UK and the US.

Business plan for medium- and premier-price markets

Fibretronic is a supplier of high-tech trims and components, with a fashion and technology element. It aims to push high tech to mainstream products by popularising "smart clothing" targeted at the medium- to medium-high price range markets in Europe, the US and Asia, particularly for volume sales.

i-Lume wearable controls from Fibretronic.

The company supplies both wired and wireless systems in keypad and joystick formats. Other controls such as its Universal MP3 control systems and music phone controls are already available in technical outerwear, backpacks, bags, jeans, lightweight jackets, gloves and other clothing accessories.

Bearing in mind its market focus, Connected Wear is easy to operate. The wearer selects a keypad or joystick interface from the Connected Wear range and integrates that into the product range of choice. Included with the garment is a hangtag to advice customers of the technology the product carries and the range of controllers available. The customer decides which of the controllers in the Connected Wear range he or she wants. All Connected Wear controllers can be purchased on-line and selected retailers.

Of the featured products, a flexible lighting system, i-Lume, is designed for high-tech outerwear and bags for safety or map reading. LED lighting is fitted for mass market, high visibility applications in outerwear and bags, backlighting for keypads and audio controls, as well as simple displays in clothing to provide instant information to the wearer.

Soft sensors are designed for sensing temperature, moisture, heart rate and pressure detection. A sensor in fitted sportswear includes footwear, garments, body worn straps for performance and condition monitoring. Sensors are also incorporated into medical clothing, bandages, bedding or seating for unobtrusive patient monitoring.

Smart jacket from Marks and Spencer.

Wearable controls discreetly imbedded.

Some 200,000 units were produced last year. The company's most expensive item is a heating system at about US$30 per piece, while the cheapest is a joystick at between US$1 and US$2. Fibretronic says an added "smart" feature could help garment makers add value from US$10 to US$100 per item.

"2008 was a very good year, 2009 suffered some downturn but rebounded very quickly. At this moment we are on a high growth curve. We are looking for a partner to penetrate the [Chinese mainland] market," said Lefty.

Fibretronic first participated in Germany's high-tech apparel and textile fair, Avantex, in 2005 and since has been a regular participant. This year at Techtextil-Avantex 2009, it featured all its latest products, including Connected Wear components embedded in garments and products such as Reusch & Kombi ski gloves, a Marks and Spencer suit, outdoor jackets by O'Neill, as well as Levi's jeans and backpacks.

from special correspondent Vicky Sung, Hong Kong