Smart fabrics can be manufactured from a wide range of materials and aim to provide added value with regards to safety, comfort or performance, especially enhancing athletic performance. Smart fabrics can include electrical conductivity, which ensures the technology can be powered while allowing them to be washed in the same manner as traditional fabrics. Smart fabrics are already being used in a broad range of potential medical, military, biomedical and athletic applications.

Smart fabrics can include materials and structures that respond to chemical, mechanical, electrical, optical and magnetic stimuli and may also include digital components such as a battery, a sensor, an LED, or an embedded electronic chip. Smart fabrics can, therefore, focus on enhancing performance, such as regulating body temperature and perspiration, monitoring breathing and heart rate, and controlling muscle vibration. Some simpler versions of these types of fabrics already exist, from compression materials to speed athletic recovery to materials that help wick perspiration from an athlete or reduce wind resistance. The importance of the development and protection of smart fabric technology is no more apparent than in the recent case between Peloton and Lululemon, which involves design patents and trade dress rights.

Future performance-enhancing smart fabrics and electronically integrated textiles (e-textiles) may, through integrated sensors, interact with the wearer's body to sense current conditions and respond accordingly. For example, first responders may be outfitted with clothing made from fabrics that allows their vital signs to be tracked during deployment, allowing a command center to monitor the physical status of the responder. First responders showing signs of fatigue or reduced response time may be recalled from the theater of operations before a negative event occurs. These innovations could revolutionize the way that first responders, from firefighters to law enforcement to emergency medical service personnel, handle any situation they may encounter. Given the nature and timing of decisions that need to be made, having reliable technologies and gear will not only keep first responders safer, but may also allow them to be able to focus more on saving lives.