In recent years, technology has revolutionized how we design, produce and experience fashion. Technologies such as online shopping, virtual try-on, 3D printing and artificial intelligence assist in enhancing creativity, sustainability and efficiency.
Technological advances such as online shopping and social media have made buying and discovering new fashions easier for customers. Online shopping offers customers convenience. With easy-to-navigate websites, customers can easily find what they are looking for. Customers can filter the products by color, item or size. Online shopping websites also give customers a wider variety.
Items sold in stores are only a fraction of what is available online. Online shopping allows customers to save time as some customers may not have time to go to physical stores and try on clothing. Online stores often offer same-day or next-day delivery to their customers, allowing customers to save time.
Virtual try-on technology has curated a better shopping experience, allowing customers to try on garments for size and fit without actually wearing the product. This gives customers an immersive shopping experience.
In 2019, Adidas introduced a footwear try-on through their app. This allowed customers to see how the shoe would look before making a purchase. In 2022, Burberry launched a new augmented reality on its website that allows the customer to scan their environments and generate a 3D bag. Augmented reality technologies and virtual try-ons can allow for an immersive, personalized experience for their customers.
3D printing is another technology that is revolutionizing the fashion industry. 3D printing in fashion allows designers to quickly turn their ideas into products. This technology also allows for more customization and personalization. By using 3D printing, designers can make garments that are specified to the customer’s specific measurements, allowing for a perfect fit. Stratasys 3DFashion Technology allows direct-to-textile printing in full color and clear print. Fashion designers use this 3D printing method to create unique styles without waiting for custom orders.
Artificial intelligence (AI) can use collected data to predict trends while forecasting colors and styles. This helps retailers make decisions about product development and helps fashion designers create their collections. Creator, designer and Kent State Florence professor Barbara Guarducci explains that the professionals she works with are using AI to communicate with clients, and by “giving something computer-made to clients, it helps to understand what they want and the materials they want.”
Guarducci has explored the difference between a designer who uses AI images to inspire their designs and a designer who works with their hands. She says that the two of them “go hand in hand… I think the human mind is always needed, because the human mind can see where AI-based images cannot, but the human mind can help AI implement some creative processes and see things from other perspectives.”
While technology is important in aiding creative ideas, it needs a human mind to further enhance creativity.
These technological advancements in fashion have helped with sustainability efforts in the industry. Guarducci gives the example of creating digital computer-based samples for clients. She explains that there are a lot of processes that can be done through the computer and if you do not have to make physical samples anymore “it is a lot of materials that are not wasted.”
Traditional manufacturing methods involve waste of excess fabrics, dyes and water. 3D printing only uses the amount of materials specified for the projects, reducing the amount of waste produced. AI can help predict demand, preventing overproduction.
The integration of these technologies into the world of fashion will continue to foster creativity, innovation and sustainability. As technology continues to evolve, there will be an endless amount of new possibilities in the fashion industry. The advice that Guarducci gives to others on how to navigate technology in the industry is to try and understand it. She says that “it’s the future, so to use it in a proper way. You have to understand it.”
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