EcoShot as a contributing technology in pursuit of a more sustainable fashion industry
When discussing sustainability, economic sustainability is often taken as read. The impact of the 2020 pandemic is highlighting the importance of good business economics to support progress on environmental and social sustainability. Every action counts when moving from business as usual, and there is an alternative that considers economic, environmental and social benefits for apparel product development.
We believe that innovation and technology will be key to accelerating the shift towards more sustainable fashion industry. Metail defines sustainability as an integrated concept within the triple bottom line framework encompassing interrelated environmental, economic and social dimensions in the apparel industry. Our intention is to incorporate sustainability within our company’s long-term holistic vision and help brands and manufacturers to embrace it through digital technology and new approaches to product creation.
EcoShot as an enabling technology
But, how can fashion evolve towards sustainability? 3D digital development is a game-changer and Metail is offering EcoShot as one of the solutions to help brands and manufacturers rise up to the challenge. We help brands to embrace the three sustainability dimensions in their use of 3D garment design by pointing out the sustainability benefits (including commercial benefits) of using EcoShot.
EcoShot is a powerful visualisation tool that helps designers create imagery to communicate their 3D garment designs with confidence. The solution acts as the designer’s virtual photo studio, making it easy to create true to life garment-on-model imagery, to show 3D clothes on real people.
EcoShot has the potential to help brands to sell designs, achieve cost savings and design with speed and agility, and do so sustainably. We help designers see garments on natural human poses and understand the fit and drape of a garment better. The true-to-life garment-on-model imagery helps maximise positive reactions when presenting 3D garments by making it easier for stakeholders to imagine how garments will look like in the context of the target demographic.
Working across the triple bottom line framework
During the product creation process, manufacturers and brands can minimise the financial and environmental costs through reduced manufacturing samples, shipping brokerage, photography and selling-related costs. This is all made possible with the use of 3D. Companies that have implemented 3D by using virtual samples reportedly are able to save costs, with an average of 50–60% reduction in sample making costs. Using EcoShot, a more sustainable and cost-efficient alternative to traditional product development and model photography becomes easily achievable.
Economically, both speed and agility in product development deliver value in a number of ways including taking advantage of data for decision making, starting development closer to market, and change of directions to design to trend. The reward is delivering collections with better-selling designs and better matching of production to demand levels. 3D garment design reinforces sustainable practices of decision-making by stakeholders using virtual assets.
Can speed be sustainable?
Whilst speed is most usually associated with disposable fast fashion, benefits can also be obtained by brands who prioritise quality and consumer trust as part of a triple bottom line approach to sustainability. This results in lower inventory levels, higher sales velocity and minimises markdowns and unsold stock. All these advantages lead to less waste from disposal of unsold stock and overproduction. Also, lower inventory and higher Average Unit Retail — the average price your design is actually sold for, rather than Recommended Retail Price — make for a more resilient business.
From the environmental point of view, using 3D garment design has the potential to reduce waste and carbon footprint. Using digital assets like EcoShot images, brands can explore pre-production consumer testing. As a result, brands can create styles with better-selling designs by better matching of production to demand levels. Consequently, there is an opportunity to minimise waste and the carbon footprint generated by overproduction. Also, significant modifications and changes of direction can be done in advance and virtually, without producing any fabric and waste. The gains of such approaches are meaningful with companies that have used 3D for design reported declines of 50% in the number of samples needed.
Technology and the big picture
With inroads being made through more consumer awareness on climate change, education is needed on all fronts about the big picture. Everything we wear starts with a sample, and every sample has an environmental cost in terms of energy, water, shipping, land and chemicals used.
Digital technology provides a means to encourage low — carbon alternatives to change physical activities by minimising the energy used for manufacturing and shipping the garment and the number of materials, water and chemicals used for preparing, dyeing and treating the sample fabric. In the context of global warming, 3D has the potential to significantly reduce the brand´s carbon footprint by 10% — 30%.
Finally, from the social perspective, while 3D garment design requires skills to be developed, it opens a window for creativity and enables designers to work in new and exciting ways. Designers are the brand’s backbone, implementing 3D will be required to build a framework for digital transformation, including crucial skill sets and assets needed to help go digital.
Our hope is that solutions like EcoShot will help build confidence in the opportunity presented by technology, and help brands and designers to create, envision, sell, start a development closer to trend in a fast way and be sustainable.
