Digital Fashion & the Advantages of 3D Simulation

The fashion world has quite evolved lately.

Back in the days, when a stylist wanted to create a garment, he or she made a sketch, assembled the technical file and then created the prototype piece with fabric and accessories. After that, they made the necessary modifications until the final validation. A relatively long, expensive process, generating textile waste. Until the advent of Digital Fashion.

So, what is Digital Fashion?

The basic definition of Digital Fashion is “the application of digital technology in its many forms for the production and consumption of fashion apparel and services.” As such, Digital Fashion, in sync with software solutions allows for the simulation of clothing in 3D and presents a world of advantages.

1. Efficiency and Waste Reduction:

With faster decision making, less development time and less physical samples, companies maximize growth and revenue and offer a superior product. Besides, this allows for the contribution to a more sustainable an environmentally friendly industry.

2. Cloud-based Solutions:

Cloud-based solutions allow different stakeholders to work at the same time with real-time development. This yields quicker prototyping and amendment, and a host of benefits:

→ reduction in the number of physical prototypes.

→ ability to check the fit of clothes in various materials and sizes.

→ acceleration in the often difficult decision-making process during the various stages of validation of a model.

→ visualization of the garment in an infinity of colors, prints and of the collection as a whole.

→ facilitation of exchanges within the company: Internally between model maker, stylist, product manager, sales representative, and externally, between contractors and subcontractors.

→ improvement of collaboration and communication between team members: Sharing clear and explicit 3D representations of your ideas will reduce the number of prototypes needed to validate a new model and thus make the creative process faster and more sustainable.

3. Digital Runways

As fashion has recently embarked on a journey of innovation and digitization, due to Covid-19, this movement will undoubtedly and drastically accelerate its pace. Collateral victims of lockdown and social distancing, fashion weeks and their parades have chosen to bounce back by going digital. Goodbye to the famous front row!

4. AR Integration

AR is changing the entire fashion industry. It has already changed the way the fashion industry promotes and sells its products, and started to influence the way we shop, especially during the past few months. 360 degrees’ holographic fashion shows to attend from home, “Fitting Room” applications, augmented e-shops and other AR trends are becoming essential in the fusion of AR with the world of fashion.

Moreover, a study by Digital Bridge showed that 69% of consumers expect merchants to offer augmented reality apps in the next half year. In addition, other studies on Google have shown that 34% of smartphone and retail users say they want to try augmented reality and 61% even mentioned that they would prefer to shop in stores that carry this technology. Retailers and brands have evaluated certain effects produced by these new trends on consumers and have decided to adapt their various technical means to them.

5. Personalized 3D Renders, Avatars and Greater Fits

Thanks to innovative 3D technology, no more need for live models and multiple size and fit samples. With the help of improved software, body scanning and experienced 3D artists, extremely accurate and custom 3D mannequins and avatars are easily created. Innovative animated mannequins will help you predict how the piece of clothing will interact with the body during movement.

And that’s not the only advantage involved here. Implementing 3D into the design and production process will drastically improve your B2B sales and your time-to-market.

Top Brands Working with Digital Fashion

– To showcase his latest cruise collection, Balmain has created a virtual showroom. And it is the artistic director of the house in person, Olivier Rousteing (rather his avatar) who welcomed shoppers. Olivier Rousteing’s avatar helped buyers in their discovery of the men’s and women’s spring-summer 2021 cruise collection.

The recent period of lockdowns and the advent of virtual collections is just one more proof that the combination of knowledge and know-how, traditional and digital, will be the undisputable foundation of the future of fashion.

A future intended to be more flexible, more ecological, more customizable, and much more sustainable.