Custom Tailoring for the 21st century. Part I
The business model for the fashion industry is changing rapidly. Consumers want custom fit clothing at a reasonable price and with the shortest possible turnaround time.
Current fashion and apparel sales, fabrication and distribution processes don't align with these requirements. Instead, the legacy mass production clothing manufacturing process requires fabricators to:
- define the garments using pre-printed fabrics
- select a fixed set of sizes
- produce the clothing in large lots well ahead of actual sales
- funnel the clothes from retail to discount outlets as seasons and preferences shift
It’s an outdated model that doesn’t meet the changing need for individualized, on-demand clothing design and sales.
The current process for designing and selling fashions just doesn't work any more. Click on the image to see an example of how digital tools are helping to deliver the promise of custom tailored solutions for everyone.
Custom clothing for everyone
With digital processes the business of on-demand clothing is radically different than anything that was done in the past. Now established or even fledgling designers can provide their clients with custom tailoring for roughly the same price as off-the-rack clothing.
Advancements in digital patterning and dye sublimation printers are at the heart of this new mode of design, sell and delivery. These tools allow users to
Create and promote a design concept
Collect personalized measurements for the client,
Take the order and then create patterns for the specific item of clothing in minutes.
This patterning innovation can be paired with the ability to transfer the pattern and the graphics directly to the new generation of printer/cutters. This integrated digital process eliminates the limitations and costs associated when working pre-printed fabrics. All of these capabilities combine to ensure that consumers receive the custom-fitted clothing and styles that they want and that the designers are able to maintain and grow profits.
If you want to know more about Digital Design, Patterning and Custom Printing give us a call and speak with an expert.
