High Style Goes High Tech

Well-dressed consumers are snapping up stain-free, nonwrinkle suits and shirts, and fashion brands see growth opportunities in enhanced clothing

by Matt Vella

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High tech and high fashion rarely coincide. Tech-infused apparel—with advanced features such as moisture wicking—is much more likely to hang on racks at sports stores (think Patagonia or REI) than Saks Fifth Avenue (SKS).

And it's no accident that the most resilient technology, such as weatherproof Gore-Tex and sweatproof Coolmax, is generally associated with conquering the great outdoors, not prowling the catwalk. Recently, however, technology-toughened luxury apparel is increasingly offered by high-end retailers. Style-conscious customers are starting to snap it up, lured by promises of nanotech-enabled, nonwrinkle suits and stain-proofed fibers that result in lower dry-cleaning bills. High-tech, high-end clothes are quickly becoming a retail niche with promising revenues.

In the past 18 months, fashionable brands such as Hugo Boss, René Lezard, and Perry Ellis have taken timid first steps toward incorporating high-performance features—from spill and stain resistance to wrinkle defiance—into their upscale clothing lines. Brooks Brothers and Nordstrom (JWN) also now both sell work clothes—elegant suits, ties, and dress shirts—enhanced by high-tech treatments that were once exclusively reserved for so-called performance wear.

Performance Features

Traditional performance wear has long made profitable use of the high-tech fabrics capable of withstanding all manner of physical derision, with practical applications in outdoor and sporting apparel. Malden Mills Industries, the small Massachusetts company behind the synthetic fleece Polartec, has created a robust brand that plays well to outdoor enthusiasts and the U.S. military alike. The latter awarded the company a $15 million contract in January. But retailers are hoping that active, fashion-forward consumers will also bite. Uniqlo, the trendy Japanese casual-clothing brand that opened a chic U.S. flagship in November, has just debuted a technology-packed line of performance wear aimed at fitness junkies (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/13/06, "Uniqlo, Brand of the Rising Sun").

Only recently have technical breakthroughs allowed casual and work wear to adopt some of those sophisticated, resistant properties while retaining the feel and comfort of regular fabrics, from silk to cotton. Such advancements in fashion materials include micro-weaving and nanotech that alters the chemical properties of fabrics.

Brooks Brothers' stain-resistant ties, for example, are treated with a proprietary chemical formula that acts as an ultra-thin shield, wrapping around the individual fibers of the fabric to make it impervious to fluids and stains. Unlike conventional, protective coatings used across the apparel industry that sit on top of the fabric, the chemical cannot wash off over time. The ties cost between $60 and $70 each.

The way spilled wine and pasta sauce bead off the ties is reminiscent of how mud and rain slip off the surface of outdoor gear made with Gore-Tex. But to the touch, the ties still feel like regular silk rather than synthetic sportswear. Hugo Boss Orange Label shirts, meanwhile, cost considerably more than the ties, upwards of $125 apiece, but have a similar treatment applied to resist spills.

Sales Growth

Though brands such as Brooks Brothers and Hugo Boss are experimenting with limited offerings, technology-enhanced clothing can be a potentially lucrative point of differentiation in a crowded fashion market. "Companies are starting to realize that a brand isn't enough, an image isn't enough," says Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at market researcher NPD Group. "There's not enough separation in the industry, and technology can be a way to distinguish oneself."

That could prove to be the case, as consumers are increasingly buying stylish everyday and work clothes with tech advancements built in.