Producing 30 digital samples in place of physical samples reduced sampling costs by 50% in the Australian Fashion Council's first FashTech Lab pilot that explored ways to transition from physical to digital sampling.
- The pilot also showed that the process decreased sampling time from twelve to four weeks, and reduced textile waste by up to 450 metres.
- The findings have been published in the report, Digital Sampling: The Business Case.
The Project: AFC FashTech Lab is a pilot programme run by the Australian Fashion Council (AFC), supported by City of Sydney, that partners fashion brands with technology businesses to trial a new digital sampling workflow to reduce time, cost and textile waste.
- The pilot programme was created to remove the accessibility and cost barriers associated with investment in technology for both small business and enterprises.
- The fashion brand participants ranged from emerging designers to enterprise brands and included Cue, Bianca Spender, Matteau, Eupheme, Daniel Avakian, Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp, West 14th and Palasade.
- The technology partners were Style Atlas, Bandicoot Imaging, Couture CAD, Ponz Studio, Neuno and Ordre.
- Brands transitioning from physical to digital sampling also reported a faster time to market and the ability to test multiple sizes of a garment without producing a single physical sample.
- This allowed brands to improve the fit of their garments and reduce their garment fault rate due to poor fit, further reducing costs and textile waste.
The Highlights: Among trends that emerged were:
- Brands prefer a hybrid model where they progress through digital sampling before signing off on one final physical sample.
- Realistic digital fabrics allow brands to consider drape and volume.
- Digital sampling allows brands to sample and fit multiple sizes at low cost, thereby increasing quality and decreasing returns.
- Digital sampling creates the potential for new digital revenue streams.
- Digital sampling had limitations for textured fabrics.
- Integration of Digital Sampling Workflow with existing systems, and securing workers with relevant skills are important considerations.
