Future Fashion Trend Predictions What will clothes Look Like in 100 Years

In 100 years, think of that shirt you just bought having the ability to change colours based on the temperature of your body, the amount of light that’s hitting the fabric, or simply just for the sake of changing colours for style. This is possible because the future of clothing is nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of materials at the nanoscale level (one billionth of a metre) to create new and improved materials. In the clothing industry, nanotechnology could be used to develop fabrics with unique properties, such as improved durability, breathability, and resistance to stains and odours.

The global nanotechnology clothing market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.6%, from now until 2027, reaching a valuation of $17.22 billion. This is clearly where the future of fashion lies. So, with that in mind, let’s look at fashion 100 years from now below…

How Will The Fashion Industry Change In The Future?

Fashion as we know it has always been changing; from 17th-century men wearing narrow-brimmed hats and 18th-century women wearing corsets, girls in the 1900s started to wear trousers to the trend of 2000s low-rise jeans, men also traded out their top hats for 21st-century’s baseball caps and beanies. It poses the question of what fashion in the future 2050 is going to be like!

The question as to why clothing over the years has been endlessly evolving is that it operates in response to the events happening at the current time. For example, a short-term timeline of fads from the 1950s to the 1980s was mostly all in response to peoples’ views of the times.

In the 60s, events like Woodstock paved the way for the fashion industry, with people beginning to wear tie-dye as a universal symbol of opposition and freedom until the 80s arrived and technology started to transform society. The first space shuttle was created, IBM’s personal computer was launched for the public, and music videos started to take off; bold pops of colour and metallics were defining the new fashion.

As time continues, technology then and now is influencing the fashion industry and trends of the future without many even realising it. Technology has become ever more important to society, with the future likely to see this intelligence embedded into actual clothing design.

In fact, the fashion world views the metaverse as a potentially highly lucrative new market. It is estimated that the digital fashion sector could be worth $50 billion by 2030. Social gaming and FTs could expand the total addressable market by more than 10 per cent within the next eight years.

Technological Advancements and Fashion

Technological advancements have had a significant impact on the fashion industry, both in terms of production and design. This is something that’s only set to continue, as we look to the future of fashion.

Here are some possibilities:

Sustainability

As consumers become more environmentally conscious, there will be a growing demand for sustainable fashion practices.

Technology can help to address this demand by enabling the development of new materials and production techniques that reduce waste and environmental impact.

For instance, advancements in biotechnology and nanotechnology may lead to the development of new sustainable materials.

Personalisation

With the help of technology, it may be possible to create highly personalised garments in the future.

For instance, 3D body scanning technology can be used to create made-to-measure garments that fit the wearer perfectly.

Augmented reality and virtual reality technologies can also enable customers to see how a garment will look on them before making a purchase.

Automation

Automation will continue to transform the way clothes are produced.

Robots and other automated systems can be used to handle repetitive and labour-intensive tasks, freeing up human workers to focus on more creative and skilled tasks.

This will lead to faster and more efficient production, reducing the time and cost of manufacturing.

Digitalisation

The increasing integration of technology in the fashion industry is likely to lead to a greater focus on digitalisation.

This includes the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimise production processes and supply chains, and the use of blockchain to create transparent and secure supply chains.

As technology continues to advance, new possibilities and opportunities for innovation will emerge, enabling the fashion industry to create new products, processes, and business models.

What Will Clothes Look Like In 100 Years?

Fashion in the future might be entirely different to anything we can predict, as factors such as COVID-19 may yet further influence society in ways we previously couldn’t have imagined. Masks being the new norm is something that no one would have been able to guess, becoming a staple of peoples’ wardrobes worldwide.

As we move forward, society is starting to realise that the number of clothes may not be as important as the overall quality. People are sick of wearing a shirt and feeling like it is no longer valuable or interesting after the first wear, and the pandemic and technology will have a big say in how trends will unfurl. COVID-19 could define a new definition of luxury as early as the next 50 years. Technology and artificial intelligence may impact the diversity and wearability of a simple shirt, meaning that answering a question such as ‘What will clothes look like in the future?’ can be a difficult proposition. The list below, however, gives a generous insight into the fashion industry’s plans for design and trends to come. So, how will fashion change in the future?

Futuristic Clothes: Formulated after the sleek form of smartphones and other tech devices, the fashion industry may be heading towards the use of futuristic-looking clothing. Common colour schemes potentially to be used in this future style clothing will be metallics, shades of black and streamlined shapes, representing the colours and shapes devices usually resemble as fashion begins to literally embody the future.

Clothing Designed for VR Glasses: For people not wanting to be an “outfit repeater”, clothes specifically designed around virtual reality glasses may be the wave of the future. Fashion optimised by the use of this technology will allow onlookers to see their clothing in a different form than what the person may actually be wearing. For example, a person may be wearing a white shirt, but when onlookers have glasses on, the clothing may appear to change colour or have an extension only visible through the lens.

No Sizing: In a way for the fashion industry to save on materials and eliminate the chances of leftover cloth being tossed out, clothes may start being specifically tailored to each person’s exact size. Possibly in the future, companies’ use of clothing sizes as technology advances, may entail scanning your body for measurements and then proceeding to make the clothing. This new way of creating clothing ultimately reduces the need for mass production and helps out the environment immensely. The industry currently uses over 79 billion cubic meters of water each year, but hopefully, with the use of technology, clothes will only be produced when a scan is completed for a company to then use only needed water and materials. The other added bonus of this method is consumers have custom-sized clothing.

Digital Clothing: Digital clothing is something we can certainly see in the near future, making this one of the most powerful fashions in the future predictions. This type of clothing is not tangible. It isn’t made from any sort of fabric. Rather, it is made from pixels, using 3D software and computer technologies, meaning you will never wear a digital clothing piece in real life. However, you only need to look at the rise of NFTs to see that this is where the future is heading. People will be able to try on digital clothes before they try the real version to see whether or not it suits them.

Data-Gathering Clothing: Recently, companies have started using smart materials to build their clothing and products, which will be able to collect data on the person wearing the pieces. For example, Nike is working on basketball shoes Nike Adapt BB that will be able to track a person’s foot movement and produce data on whether or not the person could potentially injure themselves during a game. From this perspective, the fashion of the future could be more communicative and intertwined than ever before.

A Decrease in Fast-Fashion: The pandemic is changing consumers’ shopping behaviour, it may be everlasting as customers are choosing necessities over materialistic items. Fast-fashion marketing itself as being the most updated trend style at the time hence the reasoning to buy, people in the future may not be looking for that, in exchange for sustainable luxury clothing instead. Well-made, durable, inexpensive clothing that can get multiple uses out of without going out of style may top the charts as the most desirable items for shoppers to buy.

Handmade: Quarantine turned many people towards crafts, including hand-making their own clothing. As a consequence, reports have shown an increase in secondhand markets, and this shows no signs of slowing down. A prediction for fashion 100 years from now could be the increased hobby and production of handmade pieces inspired by the pandemics current effect on society.

Rental Economy: Recently, the clothing rental industry has seen a huge increase as people are wanting to feel newness when wearing clothes without the hardship of paying full price for products. As time goes on, this trend may continue to benefit both consumers with new clothing as well as limit the environmental impact by being able to recycle and reuse products instead of just tossing things out. 

Chameleon Clothing: The use of artificial intelligence in the fashion industry may end up having the ability for clothing to change colours, temperature, and size. This may be a trend for fashion in 2050 rather than 2023, but it’s certainly on the horizon. Embroidered into the textiles of material, this technology will be able to react to not only a person’s body temperature but also the amount of light a person is exposed to. For example, the fashion of the future may be able to turn a black shirt, white if it detects a person’s body temperature increases because of sun exposure. Or, during a workout, clothing could possibly gain elasticity and then reform itself once activities are completed. It’s hard to say exactly when these products will be available to the public, but smart material companies have been working diligently on different chameleon models.

Extravagant Fashion: Regarding the clothes of the future, 2050 could reach a whole new level of extravagant clothing. Trends are already showing the use of bold colours that will likely continue within the next 100 years, but to many people’s surprise, clothes have the possibility to become more 3-Dimensional. Society is looking for unique ways of showing their personal styles, which the fashion industry is embracing with the actual construction of materials. Whether it’s oversized puffy coats or protruding long sleeves, being bold will be a leading factor in the clothing design of the future.

Customised Pieces: Finally, on our list of future fashion trends, we have customised clothing. 3D printers can eventually become a necessity in people’s homes as customised clothing and products are on the rise. Although highly expensive in 2023, within the next 100 years, engineers may be successfully producing these printers at an affordable price for the general public. With this as a possibility, people will be able to custom-make their own clothing and integrate their unique personal style and designs into 3D-printed clothing.

Fashion in the future predictions

Predicting the future of fashion is always challenging, but there are some trends and innovations that are likely to shape the fashion industry in the coming years. Here are some predictions:

• Sustainability will be a top priority - The fashion industry is likely to continue its shift towards sustainability, with more brands adopting environmentally friendly practices and materials. This includes a focus on circular fashion, where clothes are designed to be reused, recycled, or repurposed, rather than being thrown away.
• Digitalisation and technology will play a bigger role - As technology continues to advance, it will become more integrated into the fashion industry, leading to greater digitalisation of processes and products. This includes the use of augmented reality and virtual reality to create immersive shopping experiences, and the use of artificial intelligence to optimise production and supply chains.
• Personalisation and customisation will become more common - As technology enables more personalised and customised products, consumers will increasingly demand clothes that fit their individual preferences and needs. This could include made-to-measure garments, personalised recommendations based on customer data, and the use of 3D printing to create bespoke clothing.
• Gender-neutral and inclusive fashion will become more mainstream - The fashion industry is likely to become more inclusive, with a greater focus on gender-neutral and size-inclusive clothing. This includes a move away from traditional gender norms and the creation of more inclusive and diverse collections.
• Secondhand and rental fashion will become more popular - As consumers become more environmentally conscious and cost-conscious, secondhand and rental fashion are likely to become more popular. This could include a shift towards online rental platforms and the creation of more sustainable and affordable fashion options.

Conclusion

In 100 years, we can only imagine what future fashion trends will be and what our clothing will look like. We know for a fact that technology will play a role in clothing, but we won’t fully be able to depict how society will be until we get there with time. Trends will constantly be changing, technology will be growing, and the effects of the pandemic may be here to stay, but overall, we can guarantee the fashion industry will be making a unique, bold, tech-based impact with clothing.

This blog post is Last updated on May 16th, 2023.