Fashion and Technology - Essay Example

E-Fit: The Latest Technology for Fashion Apparel Industry Introduction The world of fashion indeed appears quite glamorous as we get to notice the fashion models in their modern attires on the front pages of news papers and lead stories of electronic media. This trend has become more prominent after the globalisation forces started dictating the terms in almost all the areas of human life. Today we are in an era where technology makes a big difference. The technology has made its way to every aspect of our life. Technology in the form of computers, wireless services, gadgets, and other inclusive electric accessories, in these days is very helpful and makes the life easier for all of us. The usefulness also lies in the fact that they keep us moving in the life. Fashion is the entertainment field where the ones ahead are the counted and appreciated by the society at large. Key stakeholders in the fashion industry are the fashion designers who have their hands building up backstage. They are the innovative brains working all days and nights to create more and more contemporary designs. The fashion designers try out different sets of combinations on different people in order to come out with something innovative and trendy. The film and glamour world is the other important component in the fashion industry who takes pride in displaying the newest designs on important occasions. Being an icon for the general public the film personalities often help in generating demand for the designer wear amongst the general populace. Fashion industry is made up of many fashion and textile designers who have a tough competition on hand working with the same dedication (Kennedy, 1986. p. 12-16). 2. Background It is difficult to say whether Fashion follows the society or society follows the fashion. In fact both the statements appear to be true under different sets of circumstances. On the one hand we have the situation where 'fashion' is being exported from developed countries like USA, Germany, UK to the developing world like Japan, India, China, Latin America etc. On the other hand we start hearing about outfits and accessories that are smart, sensitive, and sweet or stinky. News items have started appearing that Researchers in Smart Fabrics and Intelligent Textiles (SFIT) are working with the fashion industry to design designer-wears like colour-changing jeans; evening wear that emits different scents as the mood alters with situations; undergarments that monitor our vital signs etc. (Tucker, 2007). These things point towards two important emerging phenomenon. First, the world is gradually becoming a global village with no corner remaining untouched from the events taking place in one corner of the world. Second, the advancement in the field of science and information technology is leaving its imprints on all aspect of our lives. Fashion industry therefore appears to be taking fullest advantage of both these phenomenon. During the earlier times garments were stitched on the basis of measurements of the individual. Gradually the concept of readymade garments took over. The fashion industry too underwent many evolutionary changes all this while. Custom made garments have always been a craze amongst the fashion world. Though it proves to be a costly proposition as compared to readymade garments, yet there are a large number of people who still prefer to put on something, made for them only. This is done by the fashion designers by taking the measurements, preparing the garments and then once again checking the fittings on those individuals to find out the need of any alterations. This process is repeated two-three times in order to arrive at a satisfactory fitting proposition. But it has been found that the process proves time taking and it also results in cost escalation. In addition when we go to a readymade garment showroom, it often proves quite exhausting when we go on trying a number of sizes, before we finally arrive at the suitable one. This leads to the suggestion that there must be some mechanism which could help us in finding out the best suitable pair of garments once the measurements are known. This is more like using the simulation techniques to test the adaptability or suitability of the product under given circumstances. The fashion world has always been quick to adopt methods which proved quite handy and helpful towards better designs or techniques. E-fit is one such technique which came on the horizon couple of years back. In this techniques computer aided designs help us in finding out the best fit for us, after the measurements are keyed in the computer system. Though it is not yet widely being adopted by designers, yet the promising nature of solution being provided by the technology has made designers curious to know more about the technique. Therefore, it appears to be a relevant topic not only for the industry leaders but for the people with an interest in the fashion world or pursuing a career in the field as well. 3. Methodology The method of undertaking a research has the potential to set the direction of the research. Research approaches and methods radically influence research content and, consequently, the policies designed in response to that content. Research philosophy is a belief about the way in which data about a phenomenon should be gathered, analyzed and used. This thesis is a qualitative case study focusing on an analysis of the fashion industry in general and the promises of E-fit technology in particular. Though we do have plenty of data available about the fashion industry in the public domain, but it will certainly help if we are able to take some input from the users in general. This can be done with the help of a survey questionnaire. Crucial data can be generated using such survey, which will help in making the perspective of the study wider and relevant. For this study as well, we devised an online questionnaire. A list of target audience was prepared with the help of friends, colleagues and some fashion professionals (Appendix-1). A link to this questionnaire was subsequently sent through email to those selected for the study. In order to garner maximum participation in the survey, the email explained the purpose of study in detail to all the participants. It was made clear at the very outset that the purpose of this study is to find out relevant data for academic purposes. This was also emphasized in the mail that the privacy of the survey participants will be fully protected and there won't be any commercial exploitation of the information. Though in general to carry out such a study in general we resort to two main approaches; Deductive approach: This works from the more general to the more specific subjects. Sometimes this is informally called a "top-down" approach. In such approach we take up the 'theory' and then try to apply it to the hypotheses that we intend to test. Gradually we narrow down to the testing of data and observations for their applicability to the theory/ theories to arrive at a confirmation of its applicability or not. The Inductive approach on the other hand begins with collecting data, specific observations, which then leads to broader generalization and theories. Such an approach is called as "bottom up" approach. The patterns thus detected are formulated into tentative hypotheses and we can therefore arrive at some general conclusion about our subject. In order to assess the acceptability of E-fit technology amongst the fashion conscious populace, we tried to solicit the views of respondents on a variety of aspects. It is worth mentioning here that, the age group of 18-40 happens to be the most fashion conscious in general. Therefore, precaution has also been taken to solicit responses from this very age group. The first question in the questionnaire was about the age of the respondent. It is quite interesting to note that most of the respondents happened to be youth. As a result the average age of the respondents came to around 25.40 yrs. The questionnaire was designed to invite inputs on various areas through the use of checklist types of questions in which the respondent was supposed to point out the most suitable alterative to him/her. In this study an effort was made to have a balanced approach of both inductive and deductive methods. Once the data is collected, analysis of the findings was done using the easily available tools like MS-Excel. While analysing the responses from 62 respondents, it was found out that; i. The first question tried to figure out the average age of the respondents. In fact this also provided some indication about the fashion consciousness amongst the youth of the day, the segment holding the key to the emerging fashion market of tomorrow. With the average age of 25.4 years, E-fit technology appears to have found a favour amongst the most influential segment of the society. ii. The second question tried to ascertain the gender profile of the respondents. Predictably, female respondents outnumbered the male respondents. Though, the male members of the society of the society have started picking up the threads of fashion as well, but it is an established fact that women happen to be more fashion conscious than their male counterparts. iii. The third question was an attempt to figure out the level of interest amongst the respondents. Four options were provided to the respondents. The respondents were from different professions having different levels of interest with the implementation of newer technology. For example, if fashion innovator would most likely desire to go into extreme details of the latest technology like E-fit, a fashion follower would be more concerned about the final product or service. With majority of the 'fashion followers' responding to the questionnaire, it appears quite clear that even amongst the general fashion customers, the level of enthusiasm for newer technology is quite high. In fact the fashion followers may not be knowing much about the emerging trends, but if they express their willingness to experiment with the newer technology, it's a good sign for the fashion professionals and manufactures. iv. Question number four was meant to search the scope for the acceptance of E-fit technology amongst the clients. The respondents were asked whether it is problematic for them to go on trying/ changing the cloths at the showroom, every time they wish to purchase a new dress. Interestingly, only 4 respondents out of 62 i.e. just about 6.4 percent respondents were of the view that they do find this practice tiresome. An overwhelming 93.6 percent of the respondents were on the lookout for a better option, as they felt the practice of trying out new cloths at the stores was quite tiring. 10 people i.e. about 16 percent people said they find it a necessary evil as of now. It can be said for sure that if this segment is offered the services of E-fit technology at affordable prices, they are bound to go for it. 17 respondents said they find it tiring often while 31 said, they did find it tiring sometimes. This is another segment, which can also come around to experiment with E-fit technology, if they can be communicated the benefits of such a technology; they see the results themselves and feel the difference. v. A very interesting question was asked to the respondents, about how often they end up picking up wrong size for their clothes, shoes, hats or Lingerie. Actually such things often happen when the customer is not able to try the size at the store, owing to a variety of reasons, like too many customers, not enough space, paucity of time etc. The responses were an eye opener actually. Just about 24 percent of the respondents came out with the response that they have never picked up a wrong size, while the remaining revealed that sometime or the other they have indeed picked up the wrong size, which might have resulted in more problematic situation for them. In order to do it correct the first time, without hesitation, E-fit is indeed a perfect fit for all such customers, because that will result in saving their time, money and of course provide them a tension free shopping experience. vi. In response to the query about their experience at the departmental store, figuring out the right size for them, a large number of respondents indeed found it quite boring to figure out the correct size for them. These people would certainly like to enjoy the services of technology which helps in guiding about the most appropriate size for them. The fact that, sometimes even the most careful one's found problems in selecting their size is an indication towards the drawback in such a system. With more than 50 percent of the respondents terming the experience as bad, after having selected a wrong size, the need for user friendly technology appears all the more demanding. vii. When asked about the availability of a professional physical measurement salesperson at retail clothing shops an overwhelming majority of the respondents were of the opinion that it is indeed a problem at most of the retail stores. Perhaps this explains the responses to the earlier questions as to why the shoppers often end up picking a wrong size. 40 respondents out of 62 i.e. about 65 percent respondents agreed to the view that it is indeed very difficult while 7 persons seem to have a good shopping experience as they did not face any difficulty in locating a professional measurement salesperson at the stores. 15 respondents were not sure about such services at the stores. viii. In response to the question that, "If there were 3D body scanning systems, that would measure your body size in a second and its very precise and accurate, would you like to try it", most of the respondents i.e. 58 respondents did unequivocally express their desire to experiment with the new technology. Only 4 respondents expressed their reservations about such a technology. Perhaps they might be having some apprehensions about the ill-effect of imaging process or exposing their bodies to rays. Such a concern is certainly not out of place, because a number of studies have come out suggesting ill effects of exposing to radiations thru mobile phones, CT scans, X-rays, biometrics etc. Therefore, the fashion industry will have to come out with facts and figures about the hazard-free nature of E-fit technology in order to attract even those customers who are having some apprehension about such a technology. ix. We require assistance in going for the fittest size, in case of products like clothes, shoes, lingerie and some others. Therefore, it is pertinent to ask as to what kind of product or category would be best for the customer, if she/he goes for using the E-fit technology. When asked such a question, most of the respondents were of the view that they would go for E-fit technology while purchasing cloths. Shoes and Lingerie were the other categories chosen by the respondents for 3-D scanning systems. x. E-fit technology is not just about 3-D imaging; it also involves customising the product as per the requirement of the customer. Therefore, the process is bit lengthy as compared to purchasing a readymade product from a retail store. At times, such time consuming process ends up putting off the customers. Therefore, it was thought appropriate to ask the respondents about their views on such time taking process. In response, majority of the respondents said that they don't mind spending some more time if they get the best suited product, but 16 people i.e. about 25 percent of the respondents felt that it is a dampener in their enthusiasm for adopting the newer technology. This area therefore requires some attention from the fashion professional, so that the time being taken in the process can be minimised while providing value for money and time. Or maybe the retail store can come out with some other means, utilising the time of the customers, till their customised product is ready. This is an area requiring further attention. xi. In view of an intense competition, the customer has also become price sensitive, as the bargain offers quite often help in making a good deal. Technology implementation in fashion apparel industry is certainly going to have a cost of application. Some of this cost is bound to be passed on to the prospective customer as well. Therefore, soliciting their views on their readiness to pay 'some more' once they are ready to make use of such a technology is equally important for the survival of the new-age industry. When asked about their readiness to pay more, it is quite heartening for the proponents of the newer technology that 30 respondents i.e. more than 48 percent of the respondents did not find any problem with such cost escalation, as they are seem to attach more importance to the size and value proposition. But, as of now, about 52 percent people (32 in numbers) seem to step back with such as suggestion. This is another crucial point for the fashion industry to ponder over. The industry will have to keep the price escalation to a reasonable level so that they are in a position to attract the customer. Once there are enough number of customers, the industry might be in a position to leverage the economies of scale to offset the cost escalation. 4. The Development of Fashion Technology Every individual in this world needs to look good. For that fashion is one cure that has to be followed as a trend. The customers need to watch them and listen to their suggestions on the newest trend in the town. In fact the fashion industry is not counted as the mainline industries yet the kind of buzz it generates and the impact it has on our daily lives makes it a fast developing industry. The customers need to be satisfied or awe inspired with the new inventions. The customers need to be surprised in an innovative way that becomes the only reason of success and the attraction of the customers (Norton, 2001, p. 32-35). To be fast and furious in the field of fashion or any other field, one has to be up ahead with time. One has to be updated about the new knowledge on the second to second basis. This means that the fashion designers, the very foundation of the industry, need to be ahead of time (Brickett, 1934, p. 15-17). Technology in general and IT in particular has been a great influence on almost all aspects of our lives. IT has also helped in shaping the fashion industry. New technology is being used in the textile sector to create better quality fabrics at competitive prices. The fabric that is created or weaved in this manner has to be dyed in subsequently. These days that aspect is also controlled by technology (Paulicelli, 1934, p 32-35). The masterpiece dresses that are created are the products that surprise the customers. The designing of the costumes was previously being done manually, by hands, creating beautiful designer wears; but these days the designers just have to have the silicon chips that work it all out. There are many software that are available that work through to design the costume. Therefore technology is used at various stages in creating the fabric and supplying it to the prospective customers. Help of user friendly software is being taken in the apparel industry to come out with the best possible design and solution as per the demand in the market. Some of the software products being used by fashion designers are; ApparelMagic: This software is being used by the textile industry quite effectively these days. Developed by Murphy and Associates, the software is user friendly and economical. This is one of the apparel industry specific software which is very innovative and creative in its working. ApparelMagic easily deals with all of the innovative technological processes that are required to be followed by the apparel industry in day-to-day operations. The daily basis operations include the apparel industry-specific software integrating and easier handling of the technological processes apparel and fashion accessory companies require for product prototyping in business dealings, marketing and the apparel sales made over the web. The software thereby works in the accounting field as well in the case of sales of the apparels. And it also deals with the processing of the apparel creations. FabriCAD: This software too gives the perfect combination of perfection and innovation. It gives the most recommended and the most updated information on the technology that is being currently used for the apparel industry these days. The information that the software provides is also related to the technology that can be applied in the textile designing. The software also proves to be a helping hand for the companies that utilize the resourceful properties of the software. These days the computer aided designing is the one need that has to be fulfilled for the textile firms and the fashion industry. For any fashion and the textile industry; finding out the right CAD software is one of the biggest challenges that the information system analysts of the respective textile industry have to face to stand fast in the competition. The software helps the textile/apparel industry in finding out right CAD software that fulfils the needs of the textile industry. The software also has the marketing strategies that need to be used by the textile industry. The software very successfully provides a point to point based research on the viability of the statistics of the market analysis, inclusive of the analysis of the technologies that are presently being used in the market by the textile industries (Godley, 1997, p. 90-101). 5. The Body Measurement Techniques i. Use of CAD: When it comes to the apparel industry, the colour perfection in the case of the textiles is the first and the foremost technique. Any ideas that have been thought about should be coming out in the results in the best possible manner. Therefore the colour management is one of the key technical issues in apparel industry. There are many types of software that are available for ensuring that there is no difference in the way in which the fabric colours look in the monitor and the way it comes out in real. CAD or Computer Aided Design is used along with the software's that help the designers in using the complex photographic techniques and the imageries on any kind of fabric with no limits of the colours and the effects that have to appear in the final fabric. It has been at least ten years that the digital printing of the textiles has paved its way in the apparel industry. CAD helps the apparel industry in simplifying the otherwise complex process of textile designing. It has been seen that with the use of CAD, better colours appear on the fabrics with better effects and better overall appearance (Kennedy, 1986, p. 101-108). ii. Use of CAM: Computer-aided Manufacturing is the use of a set of software's that help the engineers dealing with the manufacturing the product parts. CAM is programming software that makes it possible to create real life components that have been designed and created in the world of silicon chips. Thereby the CAD and CAM works step by step. In the case of textile designing and the apparel designing, CAD helps in the manufacturing of the textiles that goes through four distinct stages; roughing, semi finishing, finishing and the last but not the least the contour milling. The name is indicating that this is the method where the roughness of the textile is dealt with thus in the end brining out the softer version of the apparel (Norton, 2001, p. 121-132). iii. Body scanners in the fashion industry: There are many types of software that are currently being used in the apparel industry for the purpose of 3D body scanning. The overview of some of the body scanners will help in gaining an overall idea of their usage and advantages. Explore Cornell: This software can truly show the 3D bodies scan. The scan is displayed in the form of points as the triangular smooth wireframe. The greatest advantage of such software is that the slices or small pieces of the scan can be analyzed individually at any desired angle. The slices can further be used for the observation of the cross sections and the circumferences. Purpose of the 3D scanner is to analyze the body and to see if the apparel fits the body or not. This is truly the need of many fashion designers as well as the number of boutique designers who design the dresses as per the customer's requirements. Intellifit Corporation: This software helps in designing, developing and the making of the specific measurement technologies that are required by the modern fashion industry. There is another product by the name of Intellifit's patented Virtual Fitting Room (VFR). In the fashion industry in these days, it is the only software that is working as a 3d body scanner and in addition to this; it is the software that can take the body measurements of an individual who is wearing full clothes (Paulicelli, 2004, p. 98-101). 6. Impact of Fashion Business Industry Fashion is itself regarded as the best business around the world. If the art and the technologies are followed in the right way and the right manner one can excel in this field with a name in it. The aesthetic sense truly plays a big role in this industry. The style and colour and the looks that are needed in this case have to be added by the designer and that is only possible when the aesthetic sense is there. Everyone in this world needs to look well-groomed and attractive and for that matter the only solution is to follow the fashion trends. The fashion trends need to be innovative and the latest lines otherwise they don't have any charm. The use of latest technology in the fashion as well as the apparel industry has given a big boost to the fashion industry for quite some time now. The increasing use of software has given a reason to the designers to sit back and think. Thus a shorter time, better resource utilisation helps in boosting the market of the fashion industry. These factors therefore help in creating better marketing opportunities and well informed and aware customers. 7. E-Fit Future The apparel firms and the industries are looking for ways to make the individual feel comfortable and stylish in the apparel that has been designed for the customer. E-fit gives the perfect fit for the apparel on the customers. Apparel firms are relying on various computer software solutions in order to offer perfect fit and designs appropriate for individuals. Thus customized clothing could be done with ease and without much expense. The details of the apparel and the body size and orientations are generally fed into the computer, which gives us the result with regard to the fitting of the apparel. The use of 3D body scanners goes along with the functioning of the e-fit. As the 3D body scanners scan the body, make the bodily measurements, the e-fit finds out if the apparel fits those measurements or not (e-FIT, 2001, p. 89-93). This is bound to have a long term impact on the future of the fashion industry. 8. Conclusion and Recommendations New technology is penetrating the world of fashion in many ways. E-fit is exactly the kind of technology that meets the needs of the customers and that makes the customers happy in the apparel shops. New technology is being used in the textile sector to create better quality fabrics whereas there creation is also dealt with the latest techniques. The differences are felt in the perfection, the rapid changes that can be made and the fast working, giving out the idealized outcomes as innovation and better designs. It is found out through the responses to the questionnaires that most of the people who responded in the survey said that it is a problem for them to go to the apparel shop with the measurements to be kept in mind when there is no such professional available in the apparel shop. Therefore, e-fit appears to be the best solution if adopted in right earnest. References: i. Brickett, C. J. (1934). Textile Designing. International Textbook Co. ii. E-Fit. (2001). Incisive Research. iii. Godley, A. (1997). The Development of the International Clothing Industry: Technology and Fashion. University of Reading, Department of Economics. iv. Kennedy, L. E. (1986). CAD: Drawing, Design, Data Management. Whitney Library of Design. v. Norton, L. R. (2001). Cam Design and Manufacturing Handbook. Illustrated Edition. Industrial Press Inc. vi. Paulicelli, E. (2004). Fashion under Fascism: Beyond the Black Shirt. Illustrated Edition. vii. The questionnaire link, http://www.my3q.com/home2/266/cy323112/efit.phtml viii. Tucker, Patrick (2007) 'Smart Fashion,' Sep-Oct 2007, p. 68. Appendix-1: The Survey Questionnaire Available online at http://www.my3q.com/view/viewSummary.phtmlquestid=292044 1) Your age a. Maximum 40 b. Minimum 18 c. Average 25.40 d. Sum 1,575 2) Your gender a. Male b. Female 3) Which fashion consumer criteria do you fit in a. Fashion Innovators (14) b. Fashion Opinion Leaders (11) c. Innovative Communicators (12) d. Fashion Followers (25) 4) Do you find it tiresome to try on clothes every time you go shopping a. Very often (10) b. Often (17) c. Sometimes (31) d. Never (4) 5) Do you usually pick the wrong size of clotes, shoes, hats, Lingerie and underwear a. Very Often (0) b. Often (4) c. Sometimes (43) d. Never (15) 6) Do you find it difficult or time consuming to figure out your own size a. Very Often (2) b. Often (6) c. Sometimes (32) d. Never (22) 7) Do you agree or disagree that a professional physical measurements salesperson is rarely found at a retail clothing shop a. Agree (40) b. Disagree (7) c. Not sure (15) 8) If there were 3D body scanning systems, that would measure your body size in a second and its very precise and accurate, would you like to try it a. Yes, it will help you to buy the product quickly and easily (58) b. No, you would rather try on every product before you buy (4) 9) 3D Body scanning systems can also be used measure and customized for you, what kind of product would you likely to use this technology for a. Clothes b. Shoes c. Lingerie d. Others 10) Using this new technology it only takes about 12 seconds to scan the exact measurement of your body but it will take longer to customize and produce the product than to buy it ready made in the store. Will this prevent you from using this new technology 11) Using this technology can produce a personalized mannequin to fit your body perfectly. but it will cost higher than usual, are you willing to pay more for this service Read More