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Interconnected wardrobe that sells your clothes if you don't wear them

Last updated: Apr 11, 2023

Summary

Academics at Birmingham City University are developing a 'connected wardrobe' in which forgotten items will text owners to remind them that they are gathering dust. The researchers say they want to create an 'Internet of Clothes' that sees garments tagged using washable contactless technology, known as radio-frequency identification (RFID). If ignored for long time, the clothes will automatically contact charity shops asking to be recycled or offer themselves for auction on eBay. The connected wardrobe is a practical, engaging concept to encourage people to think about their clothing consumption.

Problem

Whilst many of us love our fashion, we have a problem. Developed countries are over-consuming clothing. Back in the 1930s, for example a typical American owned 9 outfits. Today, that number is 64. It’s not just the US, globally we buy four times the number of clothes that we did in the 1990s. Yet it is estimated that we wear just 20% of our wardrobe items regularly. It creates an impact on both the environment and exploitation of garment workers

Solution

In The Internet of Clothes, the items are connected via an RFID tagging system. The user will scan each tag, photograph and name the items, then categorise their type of usage according to the weather or occasion. Each day, at a time set by the user, the garments will review their usage, and based on the weather forecast, they will send friendly messages to their owner. If a garment is neglected, it will automatically contact a charity who will send a recycling envelope with a request to return the garment.