Dressing for hot: How a warming planet is changing what people wear

NEW YORK - Shirts made from the same polymer as plastic bags. Jeans infused with crushed jade. Garments constructed using computerised knitting for superior ventilation, or made with cooling technology designed for astronauts by Nasa.

The most promising options tend to be the most expensive. Consumers must navigate confusing or questionable claims. And improvements in one area almost always entail trade-offs elsewhere. In the past five years, changes in weather alone have increased sales of shorts and sandals by half a percentage point, while reducing sales of fleece and outerwear by 1 per cent, according to Mr Evan Gold, executive vice-president at Planalytics, a company that quantifies the impact of weather on consumer demand.

Some cultures in historically hot climates, such as in North Africa and South Asia, have instructive traditions for dressing in heat, like loose-fitting clothes or covering much of the body. Though recently, designers around the world have been trying to solve the heat problem with technology. For a similar price, Ministry of Supply, a company in Boston founded by former Massachusetts Institute of Technology students, sells the Atlas Tee . The shirt is constructed using computerised knitting, a technology similar to 3-D printing that makes it possible to create additional space between the strands of material, according to company co-founder and president Gihan Amarasiriwardena.

Kontoor also sells jeans in Asia that are infused with bits of jade crushed into powder and blended into the fabric. The idea is to transfer the cooling sensation of stone into the garment, Mr Agarwal said.Most garments marketed as cooling also promise to keep their wearers dry by wicking sweat away from the skin, but too much wicking can be counterproductive. PHOTO: NYTIMES

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