The Realistic High-Tech Future of Loungewear, with Artist Impressions

The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of the world’s annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime combined.

And with the change of stay-at-home culture thanks to the Covid pandemic and inflation, loungewear has exploded in popularity recently.

Fashion forecaster Rohina Kumar predicts the future of leisurewear to include SMART features such as self-washing materials, temperature-regulating fabrics, the ability to custom design your outfits and more.

She told home comforts brand Kudd.ly that the future of leisurewear includes innovative in-built features that will help us live healthier lives while reducing our environmental footprint.

She adds: “The sky’s the limit regarding what inventors and designers can come up with. “I think the key thing is that the way we live our life is constantly changing, and in 50 years, the world will look different to how it does today.”

SMART cosy wear

“Wearable tech is a big thing now,” Rohina says and shares that she wouldn’t be surprised to see SMART tech making its way into cosy wear at some point in the future. Kudd.ly’s sketch shows bright and bold neon colours with the possibility of heart monitors built into clothing and a fluffy and warm heated outercoat, perfect for cosy Sunday mornings.

We already see SMART watches being used to track well-being, so “perhaps we will see heart rate monitors built into cosy clothing too so people wouldn’t have to wear an additional piece.” She says, “There will also be a lot of temperatures cooling regulating features as we see in sportswear.” Infrared sauna blankets are big, so Rohina muses that “perhaps they could be built into clothing” as well.

Safety is a big topic on many people’s minds too, so maybe we will see more reflective details, solar-powered features, or glow-in-the-dark additions to the cosy wear of the future.

Unethical and unsustainable practices are out

Gen Z is already making waves in the sustainability scene, so we can expect the following generations also to carry on this trend. This environmentally-conscious generation will ban unethical practices and unsustainable materials instead of opting for natural fibres, temperature-regulating features to cope with unpredictable weather and self-washing technology to save water. “Cheaply produced items which aren’t eco-friendly will hopefully be a thing of the past,” says Rohina.

The design concept shows what cosy wear with these features might look like – the heart rate monitor for tracking well-being, bold tie-dye colours with glow-in-the-dark details, and natural fabrics in an oversized fit.

Individualistic style over trends

The future of clothes shopping habits is likely to change as well. Rohina predicts that our descendants will design their clothes, giving everyone a more individualistic style and helping cut down on fast fashion, keeping clothing out of landfills.

She says that they will also be wearing more garments that are adjustable. We already see built-in and internal zippers, allowing you to adjust your garments as needed. “These will be big in cosy wear in the future,” she states.