Jewelry or shoes created in 3D, virtual clothing fittings or hats with Bluetooth speakers… Fashion brands never cease to feed off constant technological advances in order to stand out from the crowd and, above all, offer their customers innovative and sometimes even astonishing shopping experiences.
While the alliance between fashion brands and new technologies is producing increasingly spectacular results, it is not in fact a new phenomenon. Its genesis can be traced back to the 1960s, with the advent of automated production processes and synthetic materials.
The impact of technological innovation on the world of fashion is exponential, but above all it affects all areas of action, from design and production to sales strategy.
New technologies for sustainable and ecological fashion
Reducing the ecological footprint of the fashion industry is a real challenge that companies are responding to by choosing to rely on new technologies.
Ecological materials are the key. We are now seeing the development of innovative recycled fabrics made, for example, from plastic waste recovered from the oceans. Materials used for 3D printing, such as bioplastics and biodegradable polymers, are also a further effort in this race to save the planet.
In production, additive manufacturing via 3D is making its appearance. The aim is not only to produce customized items, but also to manufacture locally, thus minimizing overstocking and unsold goods. What’s more, some brands are integrating sensors into their garments and accessories to measure their environmental footprint throughout their life cycle.
There are many other innovations in this ecological effort by fashion brands, such as virtual reality to enable consumers to discover ecological manufacturing processes and sustainable initiatives, or blockchain technology that ensures the traceability of materials for consumers wishing to verify the origin and sustainability of products.
The emergence of connected fashion
These days, industry is making extensive use of IoTs (new Internet of Things-oriented technologies), and this hasn’t escaped the notice of fashion brands. Some of them are using them on the clothes and accessories you wear, and this trend is undoubtedly just the beginning!
T-shirts equipped with sensors that measure your physical activity, heated or anti-pollution scarves controlled by smartphone, jewelry (rings, bracelets, necklaces) that record new contacts or even headwear that reads your brain activity, there’s something for every taste and desire.
Eyewear is the accessory with the widest range of IoT applications. Yes, Minority Report-style fiction has become reality! Depending on their level of functionality, they retain a more or less sober and elegant design. With audio to listen to your favorite music application, 3D photo and video sensors to free up your hands, or a microprocessor to display and use applications, designers and engineers are not short of ideas.
Immersion, an innovative customer experience
Consumer purchasing practices are seeing a new innovation through what is known as the immersive experience. Augmented reality is the main source, and powerful solutions are being offered to customers.
The most innovative and promising immersive experience is the application of virtual fitting in stores using augmented reality mirrors. Thanks to these mirrors, consumers can try on clothes and accessories without actually putting them on. They are able to see how items fit their bodies, or how they would look on them. It’s the perfect new technology to avoid buying without fitting for lack of motivation or time.
Fashion brands’ web and mobile applications are currently the most advanced sectors for offering customers a variety of immersive experiences. It is now commonplace to find product customization features on e-commerce platforms, enabling customers to choose patterns, colors or textures. There’s also 3D visualization, so you can analyze garments and accessories from every angle, zooming in on details to ensure the quality and design of items before making a purchase.
Artificial intelligence, the new essence of fashion?
The new technology of artificial intelligence (AI) is being used exponentially by fashion brands. From design and production processes to marketing and sales, AI is everywhere and is evolving as the undisputed mainstay of fashion brands.
These days, consumer preferences in terms of fashion are evolving so fast that AI tools have become a necessary support in speeding up the process of creating collections and new products. First of all, they are effective at analysing huge volumes of data from social media, fashion media or online sales, so they can analyse future trends and fashionable styles. Secondly, these tools, which are highly prized by designers, are capable of generating concepts, creating models and previewing finished items.
AI is also used in online shopping to personalise the customer experience. It uses algorithms that analyse their shopping habits to recommend precise and relevant products. At the same time, it plays a decisive role in the marketing campaigns of fashion brands, as its analyses are used to provide targeted, personalised messages and offers. The result is customer satisfaction and loyalty, which underlines the effectiveness of these processes.
The use of AI serves another essential aspect. The fight against counterfeiting, a real scourge in the textile industry. As well as having a considerable economic impact, this also means that jobs are lost. That’s why AI can help reverse this trend. In fact, it is ready to spot counterfeit products by analysing product images, detecting subtle differences between genuine items and counterfeits, and monitoring online markets.
Finally, supply chains are optimised by AI. It forecasts demand, optimises stock levels, plans production and coordinates logistics. Its power to act at this level of production is such that fashion brands are finding it the grail: reducing costs by improving operational efficiency, controlling waste and increasing customer satisfaction by responding more quickly to their requests.
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