Abstract: Although smart clothing has been the area of research focus in recent years, the study of design process is not well-developed. Several typical cases are analyzed in order to identify the key issues in smart clothes development. General design approaches are concluded from the aspect of interaction relationship in terms of technic, textile and construction. A general process is put forward, which is adhering to user-centered concept, applying general design approaches, and estimating by the form of classification drawing on the experience of five-level evaluation system of protective clothing. In the whole process of smart clothes development, environmental pollution should be reduced, and recycling utilization should be increased so that smart clothes will be more environmental friendly. The tendency of smart clothing can be divided into two aspects: professional integration for the specific groups, and commercialization for the vast number of consumers.

Key words: smart clothing, design pattern, development tendency, user-centered