Nano-Tex, a leading company in the field, has developed processes that make traditional cotton and silk fabrics resistant to spills that would normally ruin clothing.

NPR: Nanotech in Fashion: The Trend in New Fabrics

As children, my sister Danielle and I spent hours sitting on the floor of Patricia Field's Eighth Street boutique, collecting pins and pushing them into a cotton tomato pincushion while our mom shopped.

NPR: 'Pretty' Chronicles Drastic Steps to Prevent Cancer