TEXTILES.ORG
Betabrand designer Steven B. Wheeler has teamed up with global information-protection authority Norton to create RFID-blocking jeans. It is believed that RFID/NFC (radio-frequency identification/near-field communication) readers can now be used to steal your personal information—including credit card data—right from your pocket.
More than 10 million identities are digitally pickpocketed every year; these devices are among the most common tools used. It’s estimated that by 2015, more than 70 percent of all credit cards will be vulnerable to such attacks.
A high-tech version of the company’s READY jeans prevents this possibility. They look and fit just like the company’s original active wear-inspired jeans, but with two “magic pockets,” lined with RFID-blocking fabric, that shield credit cards from scanning devices. The jeans will be manufactured in San Francisco with high-performance stretch denim milled in the U.S.
While these jeans are designed to help keep your digital information safe, they’re no replacement for exercising caution. No RFID-blocking fabric can block all frequencies with 100 percent certainty, and even the most effective RFID-blocking materials can fail because of wear and tear and/or user error, so the company advises wearers to continue to exercise sensible caution.
