Functional fabrics came into being with the great development of material science and technology after World War II. At first, it was mainly used to make military uniforms, but later it gradually turned to civilian use and was widely used in outdoor and sportswear. In recent years, they are increasingly used in underwear.

Based on the latest development of textile fabric industry, high-tech functional fabrics can play an important role in all aspects of the healthy life of the elderly:

Antibacterial and deodorizing fabrics can prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi and prevent allergies and wheezing of the elderly. Shanghai anti-ultraviolet fabric can reduce the damage of ultraviolet rays in the sun to human skin. Moisture-absorbing and quick-drying fibers can quickly absorb sweat from the inner layer of the fabric to the outer surface of the fabric and radiate it into the air. The fabric is always dry and has good extensibility and elasticity. Far-infrared fabric can absorb the heat emitted by human body and surrounding environment at room temperature, and radiate to subcutaneous tissue of human body, resulting in thermal effect. Bamboo fiber fabric has good hygroscopicity and breathability, as well as unique antibacterial and anti-ultraviolet functions. Soybean protein fiber fabric has silky luster, wool-like warmth, good affinity with skin, and contains many amino acids needed by human body. Negative ion fabric can release negative oxygen ions in the air, emit biological waves and promote human microcirculation. Fabric made of chitin fiber has antibacterial and deodorizing functions, and is also helpful to treat skin diseases and heal wounds. D3O gel, an impact-resistant single material, can be extruded into various shapes at will in a static or slow-moving state, and its performance is soft. Once subjected to high-speed impact, the molecules quickly cross each other and lock together to become firm, which can be applied to the functional design of elbows, hips, knees and other parts of clothing for the elderly. Aromatic fibers are directly spun by mixing spices or aromatic microcapsules into spinning slices, or placing spices in the core layer, so that the clothing emits mint and other fragrances. Elastic fiber has the function of flexibility and portability, and the clothes made can support the specific parts of the body of the elderly or reduce the resistance to action, which is suitable for the elderly with weakened behavioral ability. Developed countries such as the United States, Japan and Europe are traditional powers of functional fabrics, and domestic enterprises have been actively developing functional fabrics in the past decade. Shandong Ruyi, a textile fabric enterprise, has accumulated relevant patents by using brands of men's wear enterprises such as Anta, Li Ning, Blue Ocean House and Li Lang, and some of them clearly serve the needs of middle-aged and elderly people, such as functional fabrics such as warmth, moisture retention, deodorization and sterilization.