Digital Fashion

In a post COVID-world for a fashion brand to survive they must have expertise in innovation as well as technology. The key to success lies in creating compelling brand differentiation. By embracing innovative technology, brands can drastically improve current sales. This also directly affects marketing and production efforts that will ensure their success and drive the industry forward.

The advent of new and emerging technology offers exciting opportunities to alter the way that the fashion industry is making, showcasing and retailing products to a captive audience. Designers are exploring new ways to promote collections and reach customers to adapt to the age of social media and e-commerce.

The industry will change more in the next 5 years than it has in over one hundred, all driven by technology. We all know fashion is the last industry to go digital. There is a tsunami of articles and posts around 3D and other digital solutions, but the real problem has been the failure to interact with the consumer.

Digital fashion has a real potential to drive forward responsible design as new tools allow consumers to pre-order and customise. This methodology also reduces waste as producers can target better sell through rates and therefore reducing the environmental impact.

In this current climate we are seeing an accelerated appreciation of digital worlds. As the globe moves towards online learning, virtual concerts and video chats this also transcends into the fashion world. It’s evident that consumers are exploring new e-commerce opportunities as they begin to rethink their style and reinvent themselves.

3D is a table stake now. The benefits of 3D sampling are clear both to mutinational fashion houses as well as emerging designers. The high cost of sample creation is eliminated and there is no longer a need to create numerous prototypes and fit samples. It creates a tool of understanding for the buyer, key stakeholders and the manufacturer. The reduction or even entire elimination of a physical sample leads to a zero-waste product development process which in turn reduces the carbon footprint.

In addition to saving money and time in product development, a 3D sample allows brands to get product in front of the customer for real time feedback before buying decisions are finalized. The pandemic exposed how critical this is as big brands are now left with mountains of inventory no one wants at full price. This leads to excessive waste and major financial losses.

There has been little innovation in the presentation of apparel with all brands following traditional methods. Once a 3D asset has been created, it can be used in a variety of presentation methods. They can be used in animations, commercials, virtual reality, augmented reality, e-commerce and interactive in-store presentations.

Using Previz technology we can offer a 3D, real-time product configurator. Lightweight and mobile-friendly the configurator can be applied to a whole catalogue of items. The viewer has been designed to be embeddable directly on e-commerce websites. The same technology could be applied to banner ads or interactive touch-screen experiences in-store. The athleisure example enables users to put together a complete outfit.

Virtual runways can truly differentiate brand experience, optimize product sell-through rates and increase consumer loyalty.

Leaning on our experience working on live events our web development team created a live video switcher. This technology introduces an element of interactivity so that the viewer can control which camera viewpoint they want to watch the show from. We’ve built it so that it’s a completely standalone page which can easily be embedded into e-commerce sites.

Creating virtual runways or digital catwalks combined with “see now, buy now” e-commerce capabilities empowers labels to break free of the typical fashion cycle. At these events everyone gets a front row seat in an interactive digital venue. These live streamed digital events create a dialogue, extending the brand experience. It makes digital fashion feel more attainable. Virtual runway collections can be presented as live streams, virtual reality (VR) apps or augmented reality (AR) projects.

With modern 3D software we can simulate the way a garment moves so that it's true to life. This added dimensionality gives the consumer a better visual understanding and compatibility with the item.

The future of retail is the consumer, it always has been. By adopting the latest technology brands can truly personalise the customer journey and reach new heights.

If you are interested in learning more about the technology on offer and would like to schedule a demo or consultation please get in touch.