Technological clothing as an element of innovation: survey of young Portuguese users

Abstract

Technological garmcnts in general can bc considered as a strategic niche market for the Portugueseand international textile and clothing industry, and its definition in conceptual and operational terms needs to be defined with some strategic urgency. The recognition of the general needs of its potential users is a primary necessity for its correct development and for the adaptation to the national and international market. This article aims to analyze the relationship between research, innovation and industry in a European country such as Portugal, considering the business transformation undertaken in recent years, by collecting consumer data and consumer desires for this type of product. This study, unique in its kind, can be considered representative of the national universe and expresses the vision of the Portuguese university population, in everything comparable to its international counterparts. To this end, about 600 questionnaires, filled by students from the north, central and southern Portugal, were collected and validated, which may allow for an own and updated reading of the needs and desires of the users closest to this type of product, analyzing the factors that bridge the industry and the market. The need for increased innovation is a reality of the Portuguese textile industry that needs the integration and monitoring of Portuguese university education institutions, which promote research in this type of clothing, and the textile industries.