Future Fabrics and Fashion Design

At SXSW 2015, the panel Beyond Wearables: Future Fabrics and Fashion Design brought together leading voices from fashion, technology, and media to explore how fabric innovation is reshaping the future of dress. The panel featured Abe Burmeister, co-founder of Brooklyn-based performance clothing brand Outlier Incorporated; Billie Whitehouse, designer and director at Wearable Experiments; Colin Nagy, Executive Director of Media at The Barbarian Group; and Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, Associate Professor of Industrial and Fashion Design at Pratt Institute and founder of Interwoven Design Group.

The discussion highlighted that much of today’s fashion technology conversation focuses on wearables such as smartwatches and Google Glass. However, this panel emphasized the exciting innovations happening at the fabric level itself, from futuristic Swiss textiles that require no cleaning to fabrics capable of providing sensory or “haptic” feedback.

The experts shared how new materials and manufacturing methods like rapid prototyping and 3D printing are revolutionizing everything from everyday apparel to haute couture, offering designers unprecedented creative freedom and functionality. Attendees gained insights into how these advancements blur the line between fashion and technology, creating garments that are not only stylish but also interactive and sustainable.

Throughout the conversation on beyond wearables future fabrics, the panelists stressed the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration — combining expertise in design, engineering, media, and business — to unlock the full potential of future fabrics.

This session offered a glimpse into a world where clothing is more than just fabric and thread — it’s an evolving platform for innovation, self-expression, and connectivity. By moving beyond traditional wearables, the fashion industry is poised to transform how we experience and interact with what we wear.