When High Tech Meets High Fashion: A Surprising Discovery in the World of Engineering

While Rachel’s use of SolidWorks to create her digital twin of the shoes demonstrates the use of digital tools to revolutionise fashion design, the concept of digital twins—creating a virtual model of a product before it exists in physical form— which has been making waves in the fashion and industrial space the past few years, has been used in traditional jewellery making for millenia. Modern day jewellers use CAD to create their designs and run specifications, traditional artisans created lost-wax models or beeswax prototypes of jewellery before final casting.

Dassault Systemes SolidWorks CEO Manish Kumar introduced the virtual twin through the story of a fictional company using Dassault’s data-centric 3D Experience platform, where AI was used to generate the first prototype solution for the customer’s manufacturing plant needs. They could simulate, test and refine configurations within the context of the virtual twin of their own manufacturing line. 

Although no traditional fashion brands exhibited at the conference, many of Dassault’s 370,000 customers are leveraging its software to revolutionise their industries. Several large beauty brands use Dassault’s SAAS products for accelerating innovation and improving the environmental profile of its formulas, finding new solutions for sustainability and optimising decisions on raw materials and improving compliance processes.

For example:

• L’Oréal deployed Dassault Systèmes’ DELMIA Apriso across 30+ plants worldwide to digitise its production processes, improving global traceability, production consistency, and operational efficiency—increasing its first-time-right metric to 94.4%.
• L’Occitane Group optimised its production planning with DELMIA Apriso, enabling real-time data visibility, reducing waste by 50%, and streamlining supply chain operations.

These examples highlight how technology-driven solutions are not just shaping industrial spaces—they are reshaping beauty, fashion, and luxury markets as well.

Karim Rashid, a globally renowned designer with over four decades of experience in industrial design, spoke about how computer-aided design (CAD) has transformed the creative process, extending beyond traditional sketches to allow for more intricate, multi-dimensional innovation — bringing to life the ingenuity of his creativity. 

His insights echoed the broader trend seen at 3D Experience World—where AI-powered design tools, digital twin simulations, and automated production workflows are changing not just how we create fashion, but how we experience it. In his presentation Karim fortuitously stated “the idea that we will be able to personalise, vary and individualise probably every physical thing in the world around us. In other words, we will all start to become designers, we will shape our physical world.” 

One thought clearly emerged from Karim’s talk, technology is redefining design as we know it. His most thought provoking statement left me thinking about the future of fashion and each of our roles in it. “Here we are now, and the next evolution of this, and the next way we’re gonna go is that maybe we will have very little commodity in our life. Maybe we’ll get to such a high form of minimalism because a lot of it will be cerebral. A lot of it will be intellectual that our minds and our experiences as humans and the human connection will be everything and anything that we really desire and need, and the rest of it is irrelevant.”

In the Metaverse, designers can defy the laws of physics, incorporating elements like fire, water, air and gravity into virtual couture. AI-generated fashion, virtual try-ons, and CAD tools allow designers to explore, innovate and create highly detailed models, optimise material usage, and reduce waste in production.

Even retail spaces are being reimagined. With CAD tools, brands can digitally design store layouts, incorporating real-time data on customer behaviour, material efficiency, and spatial design to optimise both virtual and physical experiences. The fusion of traditional artisan craftsmanship with the boundless possibilities of the digital world is now entirely possible.. 

So what are the ethical considerations of AI replacing human creativity in design? As AI-generated couture and automated design tools become more sophisticated, does AI threaten human creativity in fashion? Or is it really how we use the tools that matters? AI-generated patterns, fabrics, and even full collections are already being produced, but does this diminish the role of designers, artisans, and craftspeople?

While AI can enhance efficiency and push creative boundaries, some argue that true artistic expression cannot be replicated by algorithms. The fashion industry must decide how to balance AI’s computational power with human creativity, ensuring that technology serves as a tool for inspiration rather than a replacement for artistic identity.

One additional point that Karim lightly touched upon, which wasn’t openly discussed at the conference but which deserves a mention, are the political motivations behind innovation. While AI-driven customisation and digital twin technology hold incredible promise, global trade dynamics could slow down and create barriers to mass adoption. If the US reinstates tariffs on China, Europe, or key tech imports, the costs of high-tech materials and software could rise, making custom-fit, AI-generated, and sustainable fashion more expensive and harder to scale—particularly for smaller brands, start-ups, and developing countries like India.

Additionally, trade wars could directly impact import and exports, affecting the availability of raw materials and manufacturing technology. If essential software tools like SolidWorks or 3D printing materials become subject to increased tariffs, this could significantly hinder the global expansion of digital fashion production. The challenge, then, is not just in developing the technology but in ensuring equitable access to it across all markets.

Is the Future of Fashion Personal, Precise, and Sustainable?

All of this raises a crucial question for the fashion industry: How can we better leverage technology to create fashion tailored to individuals, sustainably designed to last, all leaving a smaller carbon footprint than traditional production methods?

It’s evident that CAD programmes like SolidWorks can provide the tools to translate virtual designs into reality where both independent designers and large production houses could automate pattern creation and optimise fabric cutting, therefore minimising material consumption by machine or laser cutting to ensure garments are tailored to the exact measurements of each customer. Redefining the customer experience—from design to final fit.

But even if digital twin technology and AI-powered customisation can be used to create digital twins using just a photo and the customer’s measurements, can mass adoption work logistically? How do brands ensure that production timelines, supply chains, and retail logistics keep up with demand?

Would this model require on-demand micro-factories to manufacture garments closer to the consumer? Would retailers need fewer physical stores and shift to virtual showrooms? If personalisation at scale is the future, brands will have to redesign their entire supply chains to accommodate a made-to-order world.

Rachel believes that while mass customisation and AI-driven design are gaining traction among independent designers and tailors, widespread adoption in the industry remains unlikely without a major shift toward slow fashion. Large-scale implementation would require revolutionising data storage, developing fully adjustable digital patterns, and addressing logistical challenges such as fabric projection, personalisation limits, and data privacy concerns related to customer measurements.

The fashion and beauty industries have an opportunity to learn and implement solutions that help brands optimise their operations and sustainability efforts. And while this shift towards personalised, data-driven fashion has the potential to revolutionise the industry, minimising waste, improving fit, and empowering both designers and consumers alike, it’s still unclear if the multitude of challenges could prove implementation of the technology impractical in the real world.

Though challenges exist, one thing is for certain—technology isn’t just shaping the future of fashion, it’s redefining the very way we design, produce, and experience it. We’ll all be standing by to see how the fashion world adopts and reinvents itself to fit the needs of this ever-changing environment.