TEK-TILES, a federally funded research project exploring the integration of technology into apparel manufacturing. 

 

The TEK-TILES program brought together a team of 14 highly creative designers, artists and engineers to work alongside Deb Johnson and and key masterminds. The team looked a how to explore and integrate technology into smart garments and functional textiles. The primary result was a materials library of manufacturable swatches that might inspire solutions to wearable technology and smart garments.

 

This uniquely collaborative project worked across professions to envision, design and manufacture knitwear, e-textiles, wearables and product designs focusing on improving the human experience especially for elders, children and people challenged by disabilities. Additional attention focused on ensuring sustainable supply chains and ethical production. The TEK-TILES team included industrial designers, fashion designers, interaction designers, textile engineers, coders, AR/VR programmers, sustainability experts and ethnographers from eight universities.