BORDEAUX, France — Apparel design has gone from blades to “Blade Runner” as a range of industry segments, from lingerie to footwear, adopt the latest digital solutions to streamline production.
“Five years ago, it would have been all about the latest blade and today we’re looking at developments in IT,” observed Didier Senn, general manager of ABD Apparel, a Tunisian manufacturer that works with lingerie brands such as Playtex, Gossard and Dim.
With the amount of “to-and-fro-ing” it takes to perfect a garment, he said he believed digital tools were becoming a vital means of lopping travel time and aiding communication.
Senn was among 300 executives who attended a two-day event hosted by software firm Lectra here earlier this month. The firm, a leader in apparel technology, showcased its new VectorFashion cutting solutions as well as its latest range of software geared to the apparel industry. In the past four weeks, Lectra has announced Modaris 3D Fit, a new program for virtual prototyping that can shorten the development process by reducing the need for samples, as well as upgrades to its product lifecycle management (PLM) software, and new grading software.
The occasion stirred lively discussion about how far technology could intrude on the design process. Senn, for example, said it was not necessarily suited to every aspect of the process. Three-dimensional fit simulations, he suggested, would never be able to replace flesh and blood.
“Unlike the automotive industry, in fashion, the fit of a garment and the way it hangs on the skin is extremely delicate — in particular, for the lingerie sector,” he said.
However, a visitor from Cirque du Soleil asserted that digital solutions offered flexibility.
“Through 3-D software, we’re able to grade one outfit to fit the morphology of 30 acrobats,” said Jean Legral, director of operations. He explained how systems enabled costume makers to rapidly shorten the sleeve of the acrobat who catches, for example. “It’s about making rapid alterations to patterns that can be life-saving,” he said.
Experts cited a proliferation of software systems being used in schools. Parsons began training its students to use design software programs six years ago, for example.
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“Tech-savvy students are much more marketable,” said Luciana Scrutchen, coordinator of Parson’s digital associate degree program. She said more and more brands required the ability to operate software. “Fierce competition and the arrival of new markets such as China has forced students to get on the ball,” she said. “But we musn’t forget that in design, software must be used as a tool and not a crutch.”
Chambre Syndicale president Didier Grumbach has also been encouraging fashion students to come to grips with design software to create a common language in the global market.
“Language barriers between clients and contractors can waste a lot of time and money,” he said, adding that being able to create virtual prototypes was a way of cutting costs and shortening the incubation time spent on adjustments. It’s also a way of avoiding waste. “We’re in a period when we’re over-producing millions of garments; it’s sick,” said Grumbach. He also noted that a number of emerging markets, in the midst of hatching their own brands, were latching onto the efficiency of design software programs.
“It’s just the right time,” confirmed Zhang Wei from the China Textiles Information Center. “Young Chinese designers are extremely keen to absorb the latest technologies in design.”
Executives from the footwear and leather goods sectors confirmed they were using software for pattern-making, prototyping, fit and gradation as a key tool for shortening product cycles.
“Three-D prototyping is the missing link for design proportions,” said Rucky Zambrano, creative manager for the Hugo Boss Green label. Zambrano said he planned to use the new software for the pre-prototype phase of the brand’s bags and shoes. When dealing with so many decision-makers, presenting several virtual prototypes that can be easily tweaked will save time and be more cost-friendly than physical mock-ups, he said.
“Anything you can do up front to help speed up the manufacturing process helps,” concurred Janet Moss, global director of technological design for Nike. Moss has already been working with Lectra’s Modaris design software, but stressed a lot of the design is still done on paper. “I suppose it’s a given part of the creative process,” she said.
“Three-D software is simply the new pencil,” argued Jean-Pierre Peydeboy, president of French software firm Strategy, who attended the event. While many fashion brands such as Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo and Charles Jourdan are using software for their shoe collections, according to Peydeboy, he conceded leather goods houses were still reticent.
“Three-D software is still in the study phase for the leather goods sector,” he said, suggesting that houses feel that the comparatively simpler process of bag design, compared with shoes, doesn’t necessitate digital aids. But what about the incompatibility of techno tools with the image of artisanal luxury?
“Just because a bag is designed digitally doesn’t mean it can’t then be made by hand,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Louis Vuitton confirmed the house already employed 3-D software for its shoe design, but said it had not yet been accepted in the bag sector. “Designers are coming around to using software, and we will possibly use [software] to make design modifications,” she said. “But we will never do away with real prototypes as it’s the only way of getting the right sense of how it reacts to the touch.”
Browzwear of Israel was the first company to introduce 3D virtual draping software in 2002. Customers include Benetton and Delta Galil. In 2004, OptiTex Ltd., also of Isreal, started shipping its 3D virtual draping program.