The fashion industry, like many other industries, has been looking for a digital path for years. But, in recent months, as the Covid-19 outbreak wreaked havoc on global supply chains, that process has accelerated. The traditional world of fashion shows, which is a holdover from a bygone era, has been hit hard, and it now needs to be reconsidered. FashionUnited examines some of the fashion industry’s efforts to go digital, including products, processes, events, and companies that have taken the lead. This two-part series begins with a discussion of products and processes.
Clothes themselves
It would be incorrect to discuss the digitization of the industry without first discussing fashion. That is clothing digitization, which essentially enables all of the other points discussed in these two articles. The idea of digital fashion – or fashion that doesn’t exist physically but can only be seen in digital spaces – was once a far-fetched concept, but it’s gaining traction in the industry. The Fabricant, an Amsterdam-based digital fashion house, is one of the companies at the forefront of this movement. To create hyper-realistic animations of garments without ever physically producing them, the company employs visual effects such as motion capture, 3D animation software, and body scanning. And there is a growing demand for this new type of fashion. db fahrplan, Since its inception in 2018, The Fabricant has amassed an impressive portfolio, including collaborations with major brands such as Tommy Hilfiger in the United States and Puma in Germany. Iridescence, the company’s first digital couture dress, was auctioned for $ 9,500 in New York in 2018.
Design and production
Traditional manual processes are being phased out of the clothing manufacturing process. Clo3D and Optitex, for example, are 3D software programs that allow designers to design clothes in a more resource-efficient and sustainable way, reducing waste and carbon emissions associated with the patterning process. Daniel Grieder, Tommy Hilfiger’s then-CEO, announced something revolutionary in November 2019: starting in spring 2022, all of the label’s collections will be designed digitally, using digital fabrics, a pattern and color library, digital 3D presentation tools, and rendering technology.
Fashion weeks and catwalks
Fashion weeks have always been a very personal affair, a theatrical spectacle with industry professionals flocking to the fashion capitals, tiny locations packed to the brim with industry professionals, sitting shoulder to shoulder as the latest trends were presented. In the new socially distant world, such events are high on the list of things not to do. As a result, the industry had to change. London Fashion Week (LFW) was the first of the four major fashion capitals to present an all-digital edition earlier this month, with a three-day program of films, video discussions, and workshops. But there was still something missing. The catwalk shows, which are usually the highlight of any fashion week, were mostly absent this year. This was a sensible decision in the case of Covid-19, but it was still unfortunate. One company, on the other hand, discovered a solution. Malan Breton, a Taiwanese-born luxury fashion designer, debuted his SS21 collection, “Immortal,” in a virtual catwalk show with CGI-created 3D models.