The European textile and fibre based industries are typically in a transformation from labour intensive products to knowledge intensive products and consequently these industries have a great demand for innovative high-tech materials with special properties and added functionalities, like smart textiles. The paper will focus on potential of surface modification and functionalisation of textile materials using minimal application technologies such as digital inkjet technology. Digital inkjet technology will enable cost effective production of high end products, more flexible production, and increased productivity with improved ecological footprint (e.g. minimization of textile waste combined with reduced consumption of energy, water and chemicals). Digital inkjet technology allows deposition of different components (i.e. conductive materials, functional molecules, catalysts and biocatalysts) at a precise location on the fabric and if required even at the same location on the fabric. This enables the construction of complex patterns or of complex functional textile materials in a cost effective manner.