Beyond the Swatch pix

First came stain-resistant carpets and wrinkle-free chinos. Then came the wags on Capitol Hill, proposing to end the flag-burning debate once and for all by fireproofing the Stars and Stripes. That idea is now possible, technically, thanks to stunning advances in nonflammable fibers. The dynamic universe of "technical textiles" offers an ever expanding number of options. And that's relatively new.

In New York in 1990, when a young Museum of Modern Art curator named Matilda McQuaid began searching for advanced fabrics worthy of joining the august permanent collection, only a few candidates turned up. The picture had already started to change several years later, she says, as competition from low-cost manufacturers began forcing North American and European mills to step up innovation. According to Michael Jaenecke, director of Techtextil Worldwide for Messe Frankfurt trade fairs, the most spectacular growth is now in China.

Welcome to "Extreme Textiles: Designing for High Performance," curated by McQuaid in her current role as head of the textiles department at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and opening on April 8. The show's designer, architect Toshiko Mori, is contributing her own textile-based structure—part of her experimental fiberglass staircase—and McQuaid's other choices display a wide range of superior strength and durability.

Not to say the selections are all head and no heart. An implant used for cardiac surgery, Boston Scientific's Hemashield Gold woven double-velour vascular graft features pleats seductive enough for Issey Miyake. Other fabrics are by turns silky, reflective, insulating, or bulletproof.

McQuaid believes that the average American simply doesn't realize how many ordinary objects incorporate fabrics, be they fibrous breast implants, a bicycle frame, or the Cheetah prosthetic foot worn by amputee sprinter Marlon Shirley. The latter two are made of a carbon-fiber composite that "filtered down from the aerospace industry to the consumer mass market," McQuaid explains. Woven carbon fibers frequently hide beneath paint or leather, so detective work can be required. For example, "Extreme Textiles" will include BMW's high-tech Formula 1 racing helmet, cut in half to reveal the interior.

Despite her emphasis on the latest innovations, McQuaid readily admits that we have turned to textiles throughout history. The timeline of the exhibition begins in 1902, when the Wright brothers stretched their wings in a muslin-covered biplane. "Really, we could have gone back all the way to chain mail," she says.

As it turns out, those fluidly interwoven wrought-iron links aren't so different from the metal wires woven into ribbons and sewed into the "antenna vests" of soldiers. "Let's say you want to take your computer off your desk," suggests Robert Kinney, director of the U.S. Army's Natick Soldier's Center Individual Protection Directorate. "If you're already wearing a clothing system, why not incorporate technology directly?"

Whether designed for connectivity, durability, or strength, most tech textiles offer lightness. Jaenecke notes that concrete can be reinforced with textiles rather than with rebar—resisting rust into the bargain. A polyester sling capable of lifting 50 tons can substitute for a heavy steel chain. The giant AirBeams pneumatic arch is hardly more than a balloon, but it's strong enough to support an SUV.

Electro-spun fiber matting can block certain chemicals and biological particles, because the pores of this new gossamer nonwoven are so small that only air molecules fit through. McQuaid refers to it as "the ultimate Gore-Tex, breathable but extremely light." She notes that a similar manufacturing process may some- day produce bandages imbued with medicines at the molecular level.

Doctors are already implanting a machine-embroidered polyester as scaffolding for the regrowth of muscle tissue after reconstructive shoulder surgery. For all the highly engineered functionality, however, the embroidery will strike designers as the offspring of tatted snowflakes handcrafted for last month's Christmas tree. The green PVC squiggles of geo-textile mesh—which appears to owe a debt to Jackson Pollock—are buried in the ground to stabilize hillsides, though nothing should prevent designers from thinking window treatments or room dividers. McQuaid also mentions spacer fabric, a thick upholstery material incorporating a squishy inner layer that resembles string art. Spacer fabric has already replaced foam for some auto upholstery. Why not sofas, too?