Textiles Are Tech
In today’s renewed focus on American manufacturing, political leaders across the aisle are calling for domestic investment in technology—urging the revitalization of production capacity at home to secure our economic future. But strangely, this conversation often leaves textiles out of the frame, treating them as outdated or irrelevant to the innovation economy.
This could not be further from the truth.
Textiles have long stood at the forefront of technological progress. Recall that the jacquard loom is widely recognized as a precursor to the modern computer. Today, that level of innovation continues. Breakthroughs in fiber science, robotics, and circular manufacturing, textile production continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible when human ingenuity meets material systems.
The U.S. government already understands this. Take AFFOA (Advanced Functional Fabrics of America), funded by the Department of Defense to accelerate textile innovation. Or consider the gear that protects and equips our military: uniforms, safety wear, and space suits that are all reliant on advanced textile technology, much of it still made in the U.S.
Policies like the Berry Amendment, which requires the military to source certain materials, including wool, domestically, are another proof point. This quiet mandate has kept many American wool mills afloat. But more importantly, it shows what’s possible when government contracts offer long-term, reliable demand. With targeted investment, supported by smart policy solutions, textile infrastructure can once again become a thriving engine for quality jobs, resilient supply chains, and advanced domestic production.
What we need now is the willingness, across both public and private sectors. to expand that investment beyond defense. Civilian brands should be incentivized to source from domestic mills that already meet the rigorous standards set for military supply. We need R&D funding for regenerative fiber systems, natural materials, and circular production models. And we need to stop viewing textile mills as relics of a bygone era, when they should be viewed as hotbeds of American innovation.
At Fibershed, we work alongside farmers, mills, and designers building climate-beneficial, regionally rooted fiber systems. We see how textile production strengthens rural economies, supports ecological resilience, and lays the groundwork for a manufacturing future grounded in both sustainability and ingenuity.
Companies like Unspun, which uses robotics and 3D scanning to reimagine apparel production, are showing where this industry is headed. So are TS Designs, with their REHANCE printing technology; Circ, who are advancing textile-to-textile recycling at industrial scale; and The Textile Engine, an initiative supported by the National Science Foundation, and focused on regenerative materials, circularity, and material innovation.
It’s time to stop treating textiles as secondary to our technological future. They are our technological future. And if we invest in them seriously, right now, we can build a smarter, more sustainable, and truly homegrown supply chain that supports workers, communities, and the climate.
