What is Fashion Technology?
"Fashion technology" is the term used for incorporating technological advancements into the manufacturing and selling of fashion products. This concept has a wide range of applications in the fashion industry, including the sourcing, production, design, and retail processes.
Digital technology is also utilized in fashion technology to minimize waste and support sustainable practices. In addition to physical fashion items, prominent global brands are using Web3 and metaverse platforms to offer virtual fashion products.
The rise of fashion technology has given birth to "fashion tech experts," who speculate that this trend may eventually form a distinct industry within the fashion sector. However, it is unclear whether this outcome is feasible.
Before we vote on the likelihood, let's learn more about what exactly fashion technology is, and how can it be applied to fashion industry in each departments.
Innovative Fashion Retail Experience:
- AR/VR:
In recent times, the fashion industry has witnessed an increased adoption of cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. These tools have proven to be invaluable in facilitating virtual clothing trials for customers.
These technologies facilitate accurate measurements and customization, improving the shopping experience for consumers. As a result, purchase rates and overall customer satisfaction have the potential to increase.
- Digital Stylists And Chatbots:
The retail sector is experiencing a surge in the adoption of digital stylists and chatbots, which can be attributed to the growing popularity of artificial intelligence (AI). These AI-powered assistants offer customers a highly tailored experience, resulting in an improved shopping journey overall.
Through chatbots, for example, customers can upload pictures of their desired products, which can then generate recommendations for similar items, thereby further enhancing visual search and recommendation systems.
Revolutionary Design Methods:
The innovative methodology for design involves co-creative approaches primarily reliant on advanced technology.
The utilization of novel materials and cutting-edge technology enables designers to create designs and products that were previously unattainable through conventional techniques.
With the aid of artificial intelligence, designers can now blend materials, colours, and patterns to suit the preferences of their clients more effectively.
- Virtual Sampling in Three Dimensions (3D):
In the past, physical samples were indispensable in all aspects of the product development, purchasing, and selling process. Designers and retail buying teams had to create numerous physical samples for each iteration, sometimes exceeding 20 or more, prior to final production.
With the advancement of 3D technology, virtual sampling allows for a fully digitalized design review process, which drastically decreases the waste caused by multiple physical samples. Tommy Hilfiger has adopted 3D sampling and declared that all future design work will be completed solely in 3D by the year 2021.
Furthermore, producing tangible samples is less costly and time-intensive.
Fashion Technology in Manufacturing:
- Analyses of Market and Consumer Trends:
The future of fashion revolves around the concept of personalization and prediction. Through the use of computers, fashion companies can effectively predict upcoming trends by analyzing collected data.
The advancement of technology has provided fashion businesses of all sizes and niches with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of their customers. By leveraging the expanding data collection efforts, fashion enterprises can revolutionize their approach to product creation and development.
Artificial intelligence will play a crucial role in predicting customers' future preferences, thereby supplementing traditional trend prediction methods. With this data-driven approach, clothes designers can also benefit by creating pieces that cater to the evolving market needs.
- The Use of 3D Printers:
In the realm of on-demand fashion, 3D printing technology has emerged as a promising tool. It enables the production of bespoke products, reducing the need for mass production and mitigating waste.
By incorporating fashion technology, such as augmented reality, customers can preview the appearance of products before placing an order, which streamlines the on-demand fashion process. Through the application of 3D printing to on-demand fashion, the fashion industry can progress towards a future that is both sustainable and tailored to individual preferences, while also optimizing efficiency.
Fashion Technology Enhances Sustainability:
- Conscious Buyers Reshape the Market:
As societal awareness of climate change continues to grow, there has been a noticeable increase in customer demand for sustainable fashion, prompting brands to react by producing more sustainable products.
This trend is reflected in the Global Fashion Agenda and Boston Consulting Group's 2020 report on the Pulse of the Fashion Industry, which showed a rise in the percentage of consumers actively buying sustainable fashion from 21% in 2019 to 27% in 2020.
Consumers who prioritize sustainability appreciate fashion that emphasizes eco-friendly materials and transparent, ethical labor practices. Over the past five years, the number of people seeking environmentally friendly products online has increased by 70%, indicating a growing concern for the environmental impact of purchases.
The fashion industry is addressing sustainability challenges through emerging technologies that aim to tackle underlying issues. By embracing these technologies, companies can establish a sustainable future for their customers, improving sizing and fit, enhancing personalization, and promoting reuse.
- Less Physical Waste:
According to Global Fashion Agenda, up to 80% of clothes is landfilled or incinerated.
Free delivery and return shipping are the two key services that drive customers to make online purchases due to the convenience. As a result, buyers tend to buy a variety of sizes and return those that do not fit.
Body scanning gives a remedy to the consequences of lack of size-selecting directions. It has the potential to be one of the most crucial e-commerce conversion hacks for retailers.
Instead of depending on a proportional scale, companies may utilise the data from these scans to produce apparel that fits a variety of body types, increasing consumer confidence that what they buy will fit them and so increasing brand and merchant loyalty.
Read More: How Does Body Scan Help Retail Business?
As virtual environments continue to evolve and offer more engaging experiences, the manner in which we outfit our digital personas has become increasingly important as a means of self-expression and identity.
Given that the metaverse exists purely in a digital realm, it presents an exciting avenue for exploring sustainable fashion in a novel way. By hosting virtual fashion showcases, users can revel in eco-friendly designs without the typical physical waste that plagues traditional fashion events. Additionally, fashion technology has the potential to cut down on waste during production by facilitating the creation and testing of virtual clothing designs prior to their physical manufacture, thereby reducing the amount of materials and fabrics that are discarded during the design phase.
Fashion Technology in Online Media:
- Use of Technology in Fashion & Social Media:
The relationship between fashion technology and social media goes beyond simply showcasing products and engaging with consumers. Both fields have also become important sources of data collection for fashion brands.
Social media platforms allow fashion companies to collect valuable information about their customers, such as their preferences, behaviors, and demographics. This data can be used to develop more targeted marketing campaigns, create personalized products, and improve overall customer experience.
Similarly, fashion technology, such as wearable devices and smart clothing, can collect data on customers' physical activity, health, and daily routines. This data can be used to inform product development and improve functionality.
However, it's important for fashion brands to be transparent about their data collection practices and prioritize data privacy to ensure ethical use of this information.
The Bottom Line:
Undoubtedly, fashion technology represents a highly promising advancement in various areas, such as academia, entrepreneurship, and investment, as well as being of utmost importance for the next generation of consumers.
Fashion technology constitutes an ongoing transformation in all aspects of the fashion industry. While it is not expected to supplant the current fashion business, its growth trajectory indicates its potential to fundamentally revolutionize the entire industry in the coming years.
