Personal fashion – faster
Fashion chains struggle with long lead times and delays in the introduction of new styles and products. However, new research demonstrates that customers can get a personally designed and custom-made garment in their hands in around three hours.
In fashion industry, the time lapse between sketch and store can be up to eight months. Long lead times are a major problem, with customers growing tired of trends before they even hit the stores.
“Companies sell 35-40 per cent of their clothes at discount prices, resulting in lost income,” says Joel Peterson.
“Knit-on-demand”
When a knitting machine that could produce an almost ready-to-wear garment requiring no cutting or sewing – “complete garment knitting” – was launched, a research idea was born.
“With the ‘knit-on-demand’ project, we wanted to study how complete garment knitting technology could be used in a business context and how logistics and financial factors were affected. The research combines fashion logistics, knitwear technology and the mass customisation of garments. One of the questions addressed was how complete garment knitting technology could be applied in practice within a business concept for customised garments”.
Peterson’s research shows that a knitting machine can be located in-store or nearby and that the garment can go into production as soon as the customer has finished designing it. Witnessing one’s own design become a reality will be something of an experience for the customer. If all goes well, the garment can be delivered in-store within three hours or mailed to the customer within ten days.
“The result is a shorter lead time between the design stage and the time when the customer physically receives the garment,” says Peterson. “What’s more, the garment will be made to the customer’s own measurements and will be a good fit – which isn’t always the case with mass-produced clothing”.
Back to the good old days
Peterson’s results demonstrate that ordinary knitting machines can be used to create customised products.
“The positive logistical factors are mainly due to the fact that the garment is purchased before it is made, so nothing needs to be sold via a clearance sale. This ensures high stock turnover levels, as there is no need to hold expensive ready-made garments in stock”.
The co-design process between company and customer can take place in direct contact with store staff, making personal service an advantage.
“Self-designed garments are a niche industry,” continues Peterson. “It will never force the big players out of the fashion industry, but it will no doubt become a significant market. I predict something of a return to the days gone by, when most things were produced locally by shoemakers, tailors and so on. And of course, local production is good for the environment”.
Public defence of a doctoral dissertation on Friday, 30 November
The doctoral dissertation of MSc Joel Peterson "Customisation of Fashion Products Using Complete Garment Technology " will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Automation, Mechanical and Materials Engineering of Tampere University of Technology (TUT) in room Pieni Sali 1 in the Festia building (address: Korkeakoulunkatu 8, Tampere, Finland) on Friday, 30 November 2012 at 12:00.
The opponents will be Professor Russell King from the North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA, and Professor George Stylios from the Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland. Professor Heikki Mattila from the Department of Industrial Management at TUT will act as Chairman.
This research was carried out at the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås and the Tampere University of Technology (TUT) in Finland.
Further information:
Joel Peterson, tel. +46 (0)33 435 41 71, mobile: +46 (0)70 601 63 58, joel.peterson@hb.se
Text: Therese Rosenblad
Photo: Henrik Bengtsson