Slow Fashion: Ketty Pillet of Lectra On Why They Are Embracing Slow Fashion and Renewable Consumption

An Interview With Dina Aletras

Supporting future generations: It is our responsibility as a company to develop the professional skills of future generations. For more than 30 years, we have shared our expertise and solutions with more than 800 schools and universities around the world, helping them train the future leaders of fashion.

As ‘slow fashion’ grows in popularity, more fashion companies are jumping on the bandwagon. Renewable consumption has been gaining popularity for a while, as people recognize its importance, and many fashion companies want to be a part of this change. In this interview series, we are talking to business leaders in the fashion industry to discuss why they are embracing slow fashion and renewable consumption. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Ketty Pillet, Vice President Marketing, Americas, Lectra.

Ketty Pillet is a seasoned Fashion professional with a wealth of experience in international marketing, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and sales. Currently serving as the Vice President of Marketing, Americas for Lectra, Ketty oversees the marketing efforts for Lectra’s industry 4.0 solutions in the Americas.

Thank you for joining us! To start, can you share a bit about your early background and how it influenced your journey into slow fashion?

I was born and raised in France, which played a large role in my desire to help create a sustainable world. Sustainability was always top of mind, starting at a very young age. My grandmother was one of my role models growing up and was very committed to a more sustainable world. I like to think she played a large role in shaping my future as I ultimately inherited her sense of spirit and desire to create a more sustainable future.

What inspired you to pursue a career in slow fashion, and can you share the story behind your decision?

Growing up in France, sustainability was a central theme in my upbringing, largely shaped by my grandmother’s passionate commitment to environmental responsibility. From her, I learned the intrinsic value of raw materials and the importance of utilizing them conscientiously throughout their lifecycle, from production to disposal. This upbringing instilled in me a deep appreciation for the environment and a desire to contribute positively to its preservation. As I grew older, I became increasingly aware of the limited choices available in terms of sustainable fashion. Many brands don’t prioritize ethical practices or transparency in their supply chains, which motivated me to seek alternatives and advocate for change.

My journey into slow fashion was fueled by a desire to bridge this gap between sustainability and technology. Technology played a pivotal role in this endeavor, enabling me to explore innovative solutions and connect with like-minded individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing sustainable practices in the fashion industry.

By leveraging technology, I am driving change in fashion industry and like to think of myself as part of the sustainability solution instead of part of the problem, by fostering a more conscientious approach to fashion. This journey has not only been about only building a better world through technology, but also honoring the values instilled in me by my grandmother — values that prioritize environmental stewardship and ethical responsibility.

Today, my commitment to slow fashion continues to evolve, driven by a passion for creating positive change and promoting sustainability and profitability in every aspect of the fashion industry.

Who is your fashion hero or heroine, and why do they inspire you?

Coco Chanel inspires me inspires me not only due to her contributions to fashion but also for her pioneering spirit, entrepreneurial drive, and enduring legacy. She continuously reminds us that fashion is not just about clothing but also about creativity, innovation, and the ability to transform and transcend trends over time.

Her entrepreneurial spirit, incredible resilience in founding a global fashion empire from humble beginnings, and her timeless style play a large part in influencing the current state of fashion. She epitomizes resilience, creativity, and the power to shape cultural norms, making her a true icon in the world of fashion.

What’s the most intriguing or memorable experience you’ve had since starting your career in slow fashion?

One of the most intriguing and memorable experiences I’ve had since starting my career in slow fashion has been embracing and integrating advanced technology from design to production processes.

Early on, I was drawn to the idea of using technology to enhance sustainability efforts and improve efficiency. One of the most eye-opening experiences has been realizing the depths of what AI can do from. AI can currently identify trends, assortments and pricing strategies to make sure that brands have the ability to create collection that people will buy, as opposed to ending up in a landfill. AI can also process how many errors can be avoided (resulting in fabric waste) at each step of the process, by improving communication with PLM systems, improving patterns and fit thanks to 2D/3D technology and virtual sampling.

Technology also lends a hand in transforming how we communicate with brands and manufacturers. Streamlining the manufacturing process and reducing the need for multiple physical samples not only saves time and resources, but also minimizes material waste associated with trial and error in prototyping.

Overall, these technological advancements have reinforced my dedication to sustainable practices in slow fashion. They enable players in the fashion space to create high-quality, responsibly made garments while minimizing environmental impact and fostering a deeper connection with customers who value transparency and innovation. This journey continues to inspire me to explore new technologies that align with my values and contribute to a more sustainable future for the industry.

As a successful leader in the industry, which three character traits have been key to your success? Can you provide a story or example for each?

Three-character traits that have been key to my success are resilience, readiness to roll up my sleeves, and passion. Here’s how each has contributed to my journey:

• Resilience: In the competitive and rapidly evolving landscape of the technology apparel industry, resilience has been essential. One particular example of this was during COVID, instead of succumbing to frustration, we rallied the teams and created a PPE task force to help manufacturers convert their production to PPE like masks and hospital gowns. Technology made it possible by sharing ready to use patterns, cutting rooms best practices and connecting brands, manufacturers and fabric suppliers together. Through persistence and determination, we not only managed to help produce PPE to protect people but to save jobs and companies.
• Readiness to Roll Up My Sleeves: Being hands-on and willing to dive into any aspect of the business has been crucial. Early in my career, I dedicated time to help myself understand and experience the process and the challenges in order to help my future self. I started as a consultant in a tech start-up implementing software that helped me understand not only the customers, but the technology as well.
• Passion: Passion for sustainability and innovation has been the driving force behind my leadership in the technology apparel industry. Our annual event ideation is a perfect example of how we build a community around passion for fashion and tech — we bring together top brands, retailers and manufacturers to discuss and showcase how technology is shaping the world of fashion.

These three character traits have been instrumental in navigating challenges, driving innovation, and fostering sustainable growth in the technology apparel industry. They continue to shape my leadership approach and drive me to push the boundaries of what’s possible in creating meaningful and impactful change through fashion and technology.

How does your company embody and implement the principles of slow fashion, and what motivated you to adopt this approach?

For 50 years, Lectra has proven to be a conscious corporate citizen, driven by a collective determination to do better for our customers, employees and society at large. Lectra was built on a foundation of integrity, employee well-being and continual innovation with a focus on environmental sustainability. Our AI powered solutions are helping customers in the fashion industry ensure their current operations are promoting sustainability through product data management, precise cutting and on demand production. Knowing that textiles generate 90% of the CO2 emissions produced during the total lifecycle of a cutting room, Lectra strives to offer its customers solutions that optimize the use of materials. Lectra’s cutting equipment makes it possible to achieve material savings of 5 to 10%.

In February of 2023, Lectra underscored the importance of CSR in its strategy and presented its new priority measures for 2023–2025. CSR became a pillar of Lectra’s new strategy with five main priorities: respecting the highest ethical standards, designing environmentally responsible offers, fostering an inclusive, diverse and stimulating working culture, reducing our environmental footprint as a company and supporting future generations. Lectra’s new roadmap and the joining of the UN Global Compact, only further demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and reaching the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations — truly embodying the principles of slow fashion.

What measures does your company take to ensure the sustainability and ethical integrity of your supply chain and production processes?

As a historical leader in fabric cutting solutions, Lectra has made technological innovation part of its DNA for the last 50 years. To become more sustainable, the fashion industry needs the right technology to reduce its material and energy consumption, while remaining competitive, and that is where Lectra plays a helping hand. Lectra makes it easy for customers to opt for sustainable sourcing and manufacturing on a global level through AI-powered market intelligence, even before production. For example, using a competitive analysis platform such as Lectra’s Retviews, helps customers create targeted and desired collections by looking at competitor pricing, collection size and style — ultimately leading to less waste. Brands can then see what works and design an accurately sized and priced collection of in demand styles. From there customers are able to utilize Lectra’s AI powered solutions to bring orders to life after order reception.

Lectra is also helping customers increase their efforts around traceability and transparency which are also two key elements in any sustainable supply chain. Textile Genesis, a Lectra company, is currently revolutionizing traceability within the fashion industry. Founded in 2018, Textile Genesis provides a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that enables fashion brands and sustainable textile manufacturers to ensure a reliable, secure and fully digital mapping of their textiles, from the fiber to the consumer, and thereby guarantee their authenticity and origins. The pioneering system engages all 5–6 tiers of the supplier ecosystem to create unprecedented traceability based on five key principles and uses Fibercoins to transparently trace and manage the textile products from fiber-origin to retail.

Earlier this year, Textile Genesis launched version 2.0, offering new, innovative features from risk management, traceability engine based on more than 300 real-world supply transformation steps, to unified platform with real time integration with more than 90% of major material certification standards. Since then, partnerships such as the Forest Stewardship Council have been announced to offer fashion brands an unrivaled level of traceability.

Can you tell us about the materials you use in your products and how you ensure they are sourced sustainably?

Lectra has been a pioneer of Industry 4.0 and has been offering intelligent and connected solutions that set new standards across industries. Combining software, equipment, services and data, our state-of-the-art solutions provide a passport to Industry 4.0. A few of our solutions that help our customers produce sustainably are outlined below:

Fashion On Demand by Lectra is a turnkey solution comprised of Lectra’s Digital Cutting Platform and single-ply fabric cutting solution Virga. It connects and automates on-demand production right from order reception to cut piece. Fashion companies that utilize Fashion On Demand by Lectra have 360°-view of the entire on-demand process from small series to one-off production runs. This helps brands be more agile and shift production quicker in order to keep up with and capitalize on timely trends.

Kubix Link PLM, a fashion solution, enables product-centric organizations to work from one official data source, which is always updated and easily accessible to every fashion industry stakeholder in their supply chain. It gives fashion companies the power to organize and deal with an increasingly large amount of heterogeneous data from different IT systems by centralizing and filtering information, giving it meaning and relevance in the context of collection development. Overall, it helps brands deliver better products to market faster with a seamless and efficient product data management and product development process.

Retviews empowers brands to implement the best retail strategy for them by using competitive market analysis. It allows brands to set the right prices, build winning product assortments, optimize discount strategies, and enhance the brands image with AI-powered competitive intelligence data. Not only does Retviews help speed up time-to-market by spotting trends early, but it helps optimize sell-through by being reactive to market changes and creating curated collections.

Could you share some examples of how your company’s practices have benefited local communities or the environment?

While Lectra’s solutions are currently implemented by customers around the globe, one customer I am happy to highlight is Fire-Dex. Fire-Dex is a global protective wear manufacturer, with a focus on health, safety, and specific items such as boots, hoods, gloves, and helmets. They are manufacturing with the mission “to serve those who serve.”

Fire-Dex understands the importance of enhancing its manufacturing processes to keep up with any critical shifts such as consumer demand or labor shortages, which led them to adopt Lectra’s Fashion On Demand solution. With this implemented, Fire-Dex was able to improve cutting capacity by up to 30 percent, saw a .7 percent improvement in fabric utilization, automate order processing and streamline cutting and offloading.

What initiatives are you undertaking to educate consumers about the significance of slow fashion and sustainable consumption?

In order to educate consumers about slow fashion, Lectra has been keen on sharing how they are helping to reduce brands environmental footprint. Knowing the impact that sustainable brands are having on the environment is the first step in them wanting to purchase from them. We are highlighting in our communications how Lectra’s solutions are having a positive impact on the environment, which includes steering activities within the framework of an environmental management system, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing energy and water consumption, reducing and reusing waste and limiting the use of single-use plastic in our logistics operations.

What are three essential things everyone should understand about slow fashion?

Slow fashion will have a drastic impact the environment in the long term. Currently, up to 100 billion garments are produced by the fashion industry every year. And each year, as much as 92 million tons of clothing ends up in landfills. By straying away from fast fashion and instead buying intentionally, the amount of waste can decrease exponentially.

Another thing to highlight is the rise of nearshoring, or the inverse of offshoring. Brands that are currently bringing manufacturing closer to the US are able to have more control over production and quality. When you’re close to the end markets, you don’t have to mass produce at the level that you have before. Instead, you could do smaller runs, which means the likelihood of you selling more of your inventory increases, while the level of excess waste you have decreases — leading brands to be more profitable.

Lastly, brands and consumers need to work together to power a more sustainable tomorrow — it is not one sided! For instance, brands that have a sustainable manufacturing process wouldn’t be successful if it weren’t for a consumer base that desires sustainably produced item. The fashion industry will see success in eliminating waste and leading us to a more sustainable tomorrow if we all operate as one unit with the same end goal in mind.

What are the “5 Key Elements to Leading a Successful Slow Fashion Brand”?

At Lectra we follow our five key CSR commitments, not only to make sure we as a company are staying on a sustainable path but that we are being the best partner for our customers who are trying to do so as well. Our five key commitments that help slow fashion brands around the globe are:

1. Driving uncompromising ethical standards: At Lectra we believe it’s important to lead by example and take our responsibilities no matter how big or small, seriously. 96% of our employees trained on business ethics between 2021 and 2023.

2. Design eco-responsible offers: Our full team is dedicated to being the partner that enables customer to improve their environmental impact. All our new products are developed using eco-design principles and our R&D programs for equipment incorporate eco-design rules. In addition, the latest generation of equipment consumes up to 35% less energy than the previous generation.

3. Promoting an inclusive, diverse and vibrant work culture: Here at Lectra we are lucky enough to have a safe work environment for employees all around the world, directly impacting how we operate as an organization. Our diverse team of 3,000 employees represents 67 nationalities.

4. Reducing the ecological footprint of our activities: We have already taken action to minimize the impact our activities have on the environment, notably by implementing an environmental management system. We are also steering activities within the framework of an environmental management system and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

5. Supporting future generations: It is our responsibility as a company to develop the professional skills of future generations. For more than 30 years, we have shared our expertise and solutions with more than 800 schools and universities around the world, helping them train the future leaders of fashion.

Do you have a favorite quote that has influenced your life? Can you share a story that illustrates its relevance to you?

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” — Abraham Lincoln

This quote inspires me to be proactive in order to drive innovation. It reminds me that taking initiative and pursuing one’s vision with passion and dedication, can shape their own success. This holds true in the field of fashion sustainability. It underscores the importance of being proactive and forward-thinking in driving positive change.

With your considerable influence, if you could start a movement to make a significant positive impact, what would it be?

I would focus in on collaboration and innovation. Fostering collaboration among industry stakeholders, including brands, manufacturers, suppliers, and policymakers will drive systemic change towards a more sustainable fashion industry. On the innovation side, encouraging innovation in materials science, manufacturing processes, and business models will also push the boundaries of sustainability.

By championing these initiatives through a cohesive movement, we can work towards creating a fashion industry that operates within planetary boundaries, respects human rights, and contributes positively to environmental and social well-being.

How can our readers stay updated with your work online?

You can keep up with Lectra’s recent news at www.lectra.com. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kettypillet/

Thank you for sharing these fantastic insights. We appreciate your time and wish you continued success.

About the Interviewer: Dina Aletras boasts over 20 years of expertise in the corporate media industry. She possesses an in-depth understanding of growth, strategy, and leadership, having held significant roles at some of the UK’s largest media organizations. At Reach PLC, the UK’s largest tabloid publisher, she served in various director capacities. Additionally, she held leadership roles at The Independent Magazine Group and DMGT. Her extensive knowledge spans editorial, digital, revenue, sales, and advertising.

Upon relocating to Switzerland, Dina took on the responsibility of managing and promoting the international section of Corriere del Ticino — CdT.ch pioneering the English page “onthespot.” She also was the Co-Editor of Southern Switzerland’s first official Italian and English bilingual magazine.