Smart apparel, minus the hype: what the garment actually does

Printing a QR code on a hoodie doesn't make it smart. We're strict about that word.

Smart apparel, as we use the term, means clothing with something working inside or on it: an NFC tag stitched into a hem, a woven label that links to care and repair info, a heart-rate sensor in a running shirt, or a digital product ID that follows a jacket through resale. Some of it is useful today. Some of it is a prototype wearing a press release.

We cover the products you can buy, the tech behind them in plain words, and the tradeoffs. Battery life, washing, what happens to your data, and whether the feature still works once the brand stops updating its app. For brands and merch designers, we look at which connected features are worth the extra cost per unit.

Coming up: a beginner's guide to smart apparel that separates tags, sensors and plain printed codes.