Evrythng, a software firm that connects items to the internet and provides data on their use to businesses, is pioneering the idea of “smart clothing”.

Backed by Cisco, Samsung and private equity firms, it also powers iHome “intelligence plugs” that connect to heating, air conditioning or electrical systems so that homeowners can manage them via their smartphone remotely.

Niall Murphy, Andy Hobsbawm, Dominique Guinard and Vlad Trifa founded the company in January 2011 and have raised $17.5m (£12m) to date.

In April 2016, the business closed a deal with packaging and label company Avery Dennison to connect 10 billion clothing and footwear items to customers’ smartphones over the next three years.

People will be able to access personal digital content via their shirts or order a similar product, while manufacturers will get analytics that can be fed back to supply chains. Evrythng has also worked with Diageo to let consumers personalise video messages when they gift a bottle
of Johnnie Walker.