With a taste of success under its belt, Twinery wants to innovate on new market-disrupting textile technology ideas.
The innovation arm of South Asia’s MAS Holdings brings together experts in data science, design, engineering and marketing to develop cutting-edge textile technologies that solve problems and enable new consumer experience.
One such experience is the Lumo Run, which Twinery created in collaboration with Lumo Bodysoft. According to the innovation group, Lumo Run is the first wearable sensor and app combination that acts as a running coach. There’s been considerable interest and innovation in the “coaching” fitness tech space, such as the Nadi X legging that provides haptic feedback to correct yoga poses and Asensei, a startup that responds to athletes in real-time so they can “train better and ultimately deliver results.”
Then there’s Silsoft, the silicone fabric that Twinery developed with a “lone inventor” that combines aesthetics, comfort and performance.
Now, the Twinery Open Challenge invites creative thinkers from any discipline to solve any one of a number of problems and making apparel smarter—and more functional. Twinery said it “believes in humanizing technology by integrating it seamlessly into our lives through the medium of textiles.”
Most of the challenges up for grabs are nothing if not practical. For one, Twinery is looking for a way to signal the moisture level in underwear, which would go a long way toward improving health and comfort for myriad wearers. Can swimsuits better support menstruating women? Twinery seems to think so, calling for design ideas on how to make better swimwear for “that time of the month.”
Most quick-drying material features chemical-heavy treatments but Twinery is looking for ways to deliver that same performance but with a more environmentally friendly footprint. It’s also taking a “champagne taste on a beer budget” approach to cotton, seeking ways to deliver the hand of platinum cotton at the cost of a lower-quality fiber. The last open challenge? How to make labels for lace panties without the accompanying itch and discomfort.
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“We don’t want to reinvent the wheel but rather use the entire world as a resource pool to identify the best talent and inventions,” Sithila Dassanayake, director of technology for Twinery, said. “For innovators, this program is a great way to turn knowledge and ideas into cash. It’s also an excellent way for academics, engineers, inventors, research labs, and others with breakthrough ideas to join the community of innovators and get the resources they need to improve people’s lives with smart soft goods products.”
Participants are able to submit ideas at any level of progress—from seed concept to startup to product in development. Twinery said it welcomes interesting ideas unrelated to the open challenges as well.