The State of Automation in Fashion Logistics 

The fashion industry, despite its colorful exterior, is rooted in tradition. From the design process to manufacturing, most operations are still executed manually. This inclination towards manual labor is starkly contrasted when compared to other major industries. In the world of fashion design processes, automation is still a rare sight.

Automated versus Manual Processes 

In industries such as automotive, aerospace, and electronics, everything that can be automated has been automated. These industries thrive on efficient, precise, and automated manufacturing processes. For instance, car engine factories that produce over a million engines per year often operate with a workforce in the low hundreds. This is a stark contrast to a garment assembly factory, where the most dominant feature is the sheer number of manual laborers.

In the fashion industry, not only is manufacturing labor intensive, but every stage of product development is also heavily reliant on manual processes. This includes critical stages such as design, technical design, pattern making, and sample making, both virtual and physical.

The Unwavering Tradition in Fashion 

The fashion industry's reluctance to embrace automation can be traced back to its roots. Most industries that design and produce products had to evolve from a manual, expert-driven design and production process to a more automated one as the products grew more complex. However, the fashion industry, due to the relative simplicity of a garment compared to a car or an iPhone, and the availability of low-cost labor, has remained largely unchanged. 

• The Role of Simplicity and Labor 

The relative simplicity of a garment and the availability of low-cost labor in many parts of the world have allowed the fashion industry to continue operating with its manual, expert-driven processes. As a result, even as a 2 trillion-dollar global industry, fashion still relies heavily on manual labor for both product development and manufacturing. 

The Absence of Standards in Fashion Design

The fashion industry's manual, expert-driven approach has resulted in a lack of standards for information shared between experts. Most product definition documents, such as patterns and tech-packs, are created by experts for experts. This lack of standardization is a significant barrier to the implementation of automation in the fashion design process.

• The Need for Standardized Data 

For automation to be successful, data needs to be standardized. This includes the pattern, the assembly instructions, the bill of materials, the virtual samples, the points of measure, the grading rules, and more. In the age of digital garments, it would also involve digital fabrics, digital trims, and digital avatars. The fashion industry's efforts to standardize product information have been insufficient thus far.

The Lack of Tools in Fashion Technology

When compared to other major industries, the fashion industry's technology supply chain is surprisingly small. While companies supplying software tools to help design cars are multi-billion-dollar enterprises, those supplying software tools to aid in designing clothing are relatively small.

• The Current State of Fashion Technology 

The existing software tools in the fashion industry have been developed to fit into the existing manual design process. While these tools have made it easier for experts to collaborate, they have done little to make the overall process more efficient or faster.

The Future: Automating Fashion Design and Production

The fashion industry needs to embrace automation to increase efficiency. Companies like Clothing Tech are stepping up to this challenge. Our flagship product, the Garment Digital TwinTM, is a first-of-its-kind 3D design tool for garments that automates many of the design processes.

• The Role of AI in Fashion Technology 

This AI-driven software automates many of the design processes, freeing the designer to focus on the virtual garment they are creating. It's a unique product that shows promising potential for some of the world's brands – large and small alike - to unlock efficiency, speed, and margin gains.

In conclusion, while the lack of automation in fashion logistics may seem surprising, it is largely due to precedent, the absence of standards, and the lack of tools. However, with the advent of AI and the drive for efficiency, the future of fashion design processes and apparel logistics is heading towards automation. Visit our product page to learn more about the Garment Digital Twin(TM).

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Why? Consumers want 3D fashion options like virtual dressing rooms and by adding 3D CAD software to operations, fashion design companies can benefit from a myriad of elements.

Automation

Giving up control of steps in a workflow can be scary, but fashion designers who embrace 3D CAD software will actually give themselves more time to focus on being creative and developing ideas for new garments and styles. In 3D CAD workspaces like Clothing Tech’s Garment Digital Twin, patterns are automatically updated in real time while the garment is edited with a few clicks of the mouse. Another automation marvel of this 3D CAD software is the simultaneous update of the tech pack and costing model for the garment. Because your team won’t have to spend time on these details, they can spend more time creating designs that will expand your line in the marketplace.

Efficiency

Thanks to the automation found in 3D CAD software like the Garment Digital Twin, your fashion design company can save time and money while eliminating waste. Fashion industry pollution is a huge concern for the environment. In fact, fashion production currently accounts for 10% of carbon emissions. It also dries up water sources, while polluting rivers and streams. Fashion industry pollution also shows up in our landfills with 85% of all textiles ending up being unused each year.

Not only can 3D CAD fashion design help create sustainability in the fashion industry, it can help your company be more profitable. By reducing the ideation to sample cycle from months to weeks or days, the Garment Digital Twin creates efficiency that results in real dollars in your pocket. Your company’s designs can make it to market in a timely fashion and you won’t have wasted time and money on the sampling process because you relied on 3D renderings complete with automated features like fabric tension mapping and costing models.

Quick Revision

Want to lower the neckline? Drop the hemline? But, you know that this small change will cost you weeks in the revision process and months in getting a new sample. Not with 3D CAD software. You can make changes to a garment in seconds with a few clicks of the mouse inside the Garment Digital Twin’s 3D CAD workspace and while you watch the rendering change in front of you, behind the scenes, the software is automatically updated the pattern, tech pack, and more.

So, now a quick revision to your garment really is quick! What’s better? You can collaborate in real time with a client or teammate inside the 3D CAD software even if you’re in Milan and he’s in LA. This is ideal for trying out a few iterations of the same garment without the typical concerns this would involve. You can gather opinions on your garment revisions and build on them without worrying about destroying your timeline.

Export and Send Quickly

We get it. You have to send accurate information to your vendors and manufacturers to actually create your garments. With Clothing Tech’s 3D CAD fashion design software, this has never been easier. You can export the tech pack, costing model, and finish details all in a few clicks. The tool has several export capabilities, including DXF, AAMA, ASTM, FBX files, so the Garment Digital Twin can easily interface with your current workflows and processes. Because all the details are wrapped up nicely in one file, you can feel confident that your vendors will have accurate information to create your garment. From sampling to production, the speed and ease of the export process creates an additional layer of efficiency that boosts profitability for your fashion design company.

Artificial Reality/Augmented Reality
Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Reality are already being used for online shopping experiences and will now be a more central element of in-store shopping experiences. The high tech trends will help brands bring customers to their brick and mortar locations as well as enhance sustainability of their business models.
AI can help customers narrow down what styles they are interested in or might complement their body best. While Artificial Reality (AR) provides a virtual try-on experience. This high tech fashion trend will be especially relevant for accessories like rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and more. These AI and AR tools will also take a lead role in the skincare and makeup industries, which are closely connected with fashion.
The AR try-on experience also brings shopping to the customer in a way we haven’t seen before. Sure, consumers have been purchasing clothes and accessories online for years now, but AR technology takes it to a whole new level. The augmented reality experience can be customized to each person with real life effects, allowing consumers to move through various styles and brands quickly from the comfort of their own home and device.

Environmentally Friendly
In a recent Bloomberg article, it was noted that fashion accounts for up to 10% of global carbon dioxide output; that’s more than international flights and shipping combined. Much of this fashion industry pollution and massive amounts of wasted material are related to creating physical samples of garments that consumers never see!
As more and more fashion companies adopt 3D CAD Software, the need for multiple physical samples will decrease. This may sound like a small change, but it can have huge effects. In the non-3D sampling world, the cycle looks something like this:
- Design and pattern are created.
- Pattern is sent to China where one sample is made.
- Sample is sent back to the U.S. where the sample is tried on by a model and the garment is adjusted.
- The edited pattern is sent back to China where another sample is made. Then, that version comes back to the U.S. You get the picture. This can go on for months and months.
Think about how much fashion industry pollution and waste are happening during this process. Not to mention, that often, even after all of that, the garments that are made don’t sell well because the one size of the sample that was made didn’t account for a change that should have been made as the garment’s size changed. Now, all of those garments end up in a landfill equaling more waste and pollution.
With 3D fashion design and editing tools, like the GDT, fashion companies can cut this waste down substantially and decrease the footprint of fashion industry pollution, which is a must to be environmentally friendly.

Influencers
We all have our favorite celebrities and social media followers, but high tech trends in 2023 are bringing virtual influencers to the forefront. Even luxe brands like Prada are embracing this trend with its own virtual muse dubbed Candy. With realistic looks and beauty that rivals supermodels, the virtual muse was used to launch a new fragrance line.
With virtual influencers becoming more popular and advertising brands across channels, will traditional fashion industry pillars like fashion shows and print ad campaigns fall to the wayside? Time will tell, but this is definitely a trend we’ll be watching closely.

3D Printing
While 3D printing of garments is currently limited to samples or show pieces for fashion shows, as the high-tech tool continues to be perfected, could it become a more mainstream way of fabricating garments? The technology itself allows for specific digital designs to be precisely printed, which minimizes manufacturing errors and resource waste. It would certainly streamline the process between 3 CAD design, like the GDT, and editing tools and garment creation. 3D printing can also boost sustainability for brands while allowing for added personalization. This tech-led production style could also lead to seamless garments, which would be a revolution to the way clothes are currently made. 3D printed items are environmentally friendly in materials and production, which also makes it attractive for the fashion industry moving forward. Currently, footwear, accessories, and embellishments like buttons are leading the charge with 3D printing in the fashion industry, but creating comfortable 3D printed clothes is on the horizon in 2023 and beyond. Historically, the fashion industry has been a slow adopter of new tools that other industries like automotive and manufacturing have quickly infused into processes and facilities. Regardless of each specific high tech fashion trend, the important thing to pay attention to is that the fashion industry is seemingly finally waking up to the idea that they must embrace technology to survive. Yes, we all need clothes, but only brands who take notice of what these tools can do to create efficiencies and limit waste will be leaders in the next decade.

In 2023, the fashion industry must pay attention to these high-tech tools and trends to remain relevant in the eyes of consumers who care about environmentally friendly brands and will spend more with those companies than others. People are more in tune with purchasing based on causes they care about than ever before!