Paris Show Features High-tech Undies

Everything’s gone high-tech nowadays. Cell phones are no longer just cell phones, TVs are no longer just TVs. And judging from what was featured at Paris’s annual lingerie trade fair on Sunday, high technology has invaded underwear as well.

Categorized as cosmeto-textiles, these underwear contain various substances such as nutrients derived from seaweed, aloe vera moisturizers, perfumes, creams and slimming agents. Theoretically, these underwear help men feel cool and fresh, help keep the skin moist, and help women slim down.

But cosmeto-textiles are not limited to just underwear. French firm Onixxa, for example, counts among its 30 cosmeto-textile garments such items as slimming tights and slimming jeans. Then there’s Invista, a Canadian textiles company that manufactures, aside from men and women’s underwear, socks and tights made with cosmeto-textiles.

And pretty soon, it is believed that giants such as Adidas, L’Oreal and Nike will soon be caught up in the cosmeto-textile industry. If that happens, perhaps that will prove that this entire cosmeto-textile thing isn’t just a passing fad.