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Body odour, that unfortunate side-effect of our hard-working tradesmen, could be a thing of the past – reports The Courier Mail.
Advances in clothing technology are resulting in odour-destroying fabrics, performance-increasing sportswear and electrically-conductive fibres sparking excitement in the fashion industry.
The latest release from Australian iconic workwear label King Gee are 'Steel' shirts, which are treated with a substance manufactured by textile engineering company Nano-Tex, the Courier-Mail reports.
The treatment picks up on chemicals unique to body odour and neutralises the smell, releasing it in the wash.
"It's quite an impressive bit of technology," says spokeswoman Mirjana Dujkovic.
"It has the ability to recognise body odour smell and it's an intellectual molecule. It won't pick up perfume or smoke or anything else."
King Gee have been manufacturing so-called workwear - in particular boots, shirts, shorts and pants designed to survive tough working conditions - since 1926.
So-called "smart clothing" has potential for application across all sectors, says Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia executive director Jo Kellock.
"In New Scientist magazine this month there's an article about carbon-nanotube-based ink that can soak into fabrics," she said.
The ink, developed by scientists from Stanford University in California, has the potential to turn clothes into wearable batteries.
At the CSIRO, research on honey bee silk is being explored for potential to create highly durable but very fine fabrics.
"They can spin it very fine but it has the strength of kevlar (commonly used in bicycle tires and body armour)," Kellock said.
"I would really like to see designers working with some new technologies to see how they could apply it to fashion. I think things will move into that space."
