There was a recent article that I wrote for the Collegian about the come back of thermochromatic fashion, like the new line of sportswear from American Apparel.

This color changing fashion came out in the late 1980's, and is activated by body heat. It was big within the club scene, where you could grope your dance partner and leave your thermochromatic handprint on their body, making this fashion a promotion for intimate interaction.

Nowadays, the military has picked up on this technology, and they have tweaked it to work to their advantage. There have been advances in garments that eliminate the presence of body heat for soldiers to reduce their infrared presence. Also, there has been a fabric developed by the Department of Material Science at MIT that can reflect any light that hits it with a mixture of plastic and glass that can be woven into the fabric.

There is also talk of other versions of this thread having a commercial appeal. Imagine being able to change the color of your purse or sweater with the touch of a button. Well, this is where technology in fashion today is leading us. You can read more about these advances in this article (pdf) below.

So, watch out cotton. You may not remain "the fabric of our lives" forever.

-- Beth Ann Downey