WATCHING the fanfare that follows any new product announcement from Apple, like the one on Tuesday that included a smaller version of the iPad, the thought occurs that fashion designers are not doing enough to foster innovation in their field. People just don’t seem to get as excited about a new pair of pants as they do a faster computer processor.

“If you look at your iPhone or your computer, everything has changed,” said Christy Raedeke, the director of marketing for a supplier of high-tech military apparel called Massif, the name taken from the geology of mountains. “But your khakis are always the same.”

That may be an overly broad generalization, but it helps explain the rationale of the designers of Massif, who previously specialized in the development of flame-resistant uniforms for combat troops and C.I.A. operatives, to dip their toes into the world of high fashion.