Let’s talk wearable antivirus technology

While the pandemic has inspired most designers to change their marketing game, some are considering working technology into fabric. Is the integration of functionality and fashion the new frontier, and the future?

Unusual times call for unusual projects. Somesh Singh, 45, is not a fashion designer, although as a former professor at Ahmedabad’s National Institute of Design (NID), he has taught the likes of Rahul Mishra and Nachiket Barve. It’s a position he held for 14 years before taking over as director at Institute of Apparel Management, which he quit in 2016. And his latest tryst with product design addresses the pandemic reality in the most effective way he knows: by creating the CoVest jacket. 

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After launching four-layer, high-density polyester masks layered with pleats instead of darts to allow air pockets for breathability, Singh set out to see if he could make “safe” clothes. “It is [virus] everywhere, but hidden from sight. For design to stay relevant, it has to engage with solutions.”

Created in his Delhi studio, the jacket is coated with a ViroBan nano finish—an advanced antiviral active textile finish that offers protection from air-borne bacteria and viruses. These are available in three handmade fabric versions: Ajrakh print cotton, linen and Cemi-Flex (cement fabric combining natural and synthetic material that looks like leather). “The full jacket weighs 1.25 kg while the sleeveless option is 750 gm. Technology has no weight,” he laughs. 

And here comes the fun bit: each piece is fitted with social distancing sensors, UVC LED sanitisation pockets, a digital thermometer to reflect the wearer’s body temperature, a battery charger, and an in-built, detachable face mask. Singh explains: “The prime design strategy was to make a strategic shift from fashion to function, integrating smart technology which complies with guidelines of WHO [World Health Organisation] and ICMR [Indian Council for Medical Research].”

Antiviral fabrics typically require gentle washing techniques. So, Somesh Singh—co-founder Craft Village and its initiative India Craft Week—designed and developed Safety CoVer, which uses UVC technology to sanitise the CoVest jacket but also masks, non-treated clothes and accessories. It also comes with a 5-watt USB port to charge electronic devices. Four minutes and 30 seconds; that’s how long it takes to sanitise products, and in return saves water, using detergents that are a chief source of chemical pollutants, money, time and energy. “It’s proved to be a highly saleable product, and I plan to scale up its production,” adds Singh

To take the bluntness off a tech-driven garment, he decided to add the handmade touch. He has sourced the organic cotton and Ajrakh blocks from national awardee Abdul Jabbar Khatri, one of Bhuj’s most revered artisans. The seams are made from copper threads woven by master weavers in Banaras. “Apart from copper being a natural conductor, it’s also said to fight bacteria that can cling to clothing.” 

This social impact project pushed Singh to consider how design could meet science and technology, a question that textile manufacturers internationally have been asking. Italy’s Albini Group, which supplies dress shirts to luxury brands Prada, Zegna and Armani, has developed the new ViroFormula family of antiviral fabrics in partnership with Swiss company HeiQ, WWD reported in January. The Diesel Upfreshing project has infused new life into existing items of their Spring Summer 2020 collection by applying an innovative technology called Protector Shield. This product from Nearchimica, a four-decade-old Italian chemical company, is said to have certified antibacterial and antimicrobial qualities and a droplet barrier. 

Somesh Singh

Back home, Grado (synergy of Grasim Suiting and OCM) is using Neo Tech technology, certified by NABL (National Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories), to produce fabrics engineered for protection against viruses and microbes, said in a report in Fibre2Fashion.com. 

These efforts demonstrate that the new category of antibacterial and antiviral fabrics succeed when done in concert with others. Fashion brands do not operate in a vacuum, and are part of a larger system that includes policy makers, researchers, investors and the government. “We can’t get there in one leap,” says Harmeet Bajaj, academician and entrepreneur. “In India, we have to first go beyond the industry’s sustainability rhetoric and discuss biodiversity. We are anyway slow on the uptake, and the scale if you wish to take on something like this is large while support from the government is zilch,” she says of the challenge. 

Kanika Dev in a Bloni bodysuit made from Econyl regenerated nylon and handspun cotton in tie-dye print, styled with Giza (type of Egyptian cotton) cummerbund

It’s not surprising then that Singh’s social entrepreneurship project was entirely self-funded, and so far, self-marketed on his e-commerce website. “It was an expensive undertaking; the R&D itself totalled Rs 20 lakh,” says Singh, ruing, “And traditional distributors just don’t get the [merit of the] product.” 

Akshat Bansal

Akshat Bansal agrees with Singh. “Are people in India even wearing masks? Chances are that they won’t care about antibacterial or antiviral fabric. Also, R&D requires funds, effort and time.” In 2017, Bansal founded his label Bloni, with a focus on fabric innovation. He works regularly with Econyl, a marine plastic waste nylon textile, which won’t stretch, shrink or tear; it’s designed to basically outlive the wearer and challenge fast fashion. The India connection is featured with the inclusion of handspun cotton, Chanderi weave, and handcrafted bandhani or tie and dye printing. 

Also Read: World Environment Day: How four Mumbaikars gave up fast fashion for thrifting

Part of the Diesel Upfreshing range, this crewneck sweatshirt is created using Protector Shield by Nearchimica—a combination of certificated antibacterial and antimicrobial product with a droplet barrier. The Italian brand claims that the sweatshirt is protected against bacteria, fungi and dust mites

The designer’s use of Econyl and recycled parachute material, a blend of nylon-polyester, for In Between XY—a new collection launched in March—resonated instantly with the industry and media. The buyers, however, are taking their time to catch up. “It’s going to take time for change to unfold, and for customers to understand why a certain tailored T-shirt [made from regenerated material] costs Rs 7,000 as opposed to a cheaper jersey option. I am not sure if a customer would think differently about a garment if it’s specifically created to shield against the virus,” Bansal says. 

Gaurav Gupta and Harmeet Bajaj

Additionally, there are concerns among designers about the lack of sufficient research on the health and safety of antiviral fabrics, even as experts are still to wrap their heads fully around the SARS CoV-2 virus and how we can fight it. “If I were to produce a pair of jeans using antiviral denim, I have to be sure that my client won’t suffer any side effects. Until there is sound scientific research and clinical studies conducted about these fabrics being safe for human skin, like with any new innovation, it’s a tricky place to be in,” says designer Gaurav Gupta.

Also Read: Why sustainability is in fashion

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