One fact was made clear during the Covid-19 pandemic: adopting technology is crucial to the longevity of a business. As companies around the world were forced to rely on alternative means to in-person collaboration, the need for innovations like digital sampling was more prominent than ever.
A new partnership between retail branding and digital solutions company Avery Dennison and 3D fashion solution Browzwear puts a renewed focus on the need for virtual design solutions—specifically in the labeling stage which, though often considered an afterthought, can drastically derail speed-to-market if not designed with intention. Without virtual solutions, designers can undergo excessive rounds of physical sampling, resulting in textile waste, unnecessary carbon emissions and lost time.
“Oversampling is a serious problem in our industry,” said Rana Sidahmed, senior global director, creative and marketing, Avery Dennison RBIS. “Beyond sustainability, bringing branding to the forefront of the design process enables brands to get their products to market faster, meeting the industry’s ever-increasing need for speed.”
Not to mention, excessive sampling is also a financial burden. According to some experts, producing just one garment sample can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. Switching to digital methods can help companies narrow down the production timeline and translate to considerable financial savings.
With the new software update, available on July 6, designers can choose from a library of Avery Dennison’s materials and fabrics to provide accurate visuals of its label solutions—a first for the industry, as designers have never before had this kind of transparency. Designers can develop, preview and test four label prototypes on garments, including “heat transfer” for exterior embellishments, “care label” for printed fabric labels, “sew down label” for woven materials, and “hangtag” for paper products.
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The enhancement are thanks to a 2020 collaboration between Browzwear and Adobe, in which the sampling platform integrated Substance 3D texturing and materials authoring technology to let designers quickly and easily create and visualize hyper-realistic print executions and other ready-for-production visual effects.
“With Avery Dennison’s material integrations into the Browzwear platform, brands can now create, customize and preview a truly unique garment from concept to completion in a fully digital environment before physical production begins,” said Brian Cheng, director, digital transformation, Avery Dennison RBIS.
This move closely aligns with the materials company’s long-term sustainability goals, which include delivering more circular innovations, reducing its environmental impact throughout its operations and supply chain and fostering a more engaged and inclusive team of employees. Earlier this year, it also published a report documenting what it will take for the fashion industry to achieve zero waste.
Browzwear’s virtual solution has been adopted by more than 650 organizations including PVH, VF Corporation, Columbia Sportswear and, more recently, Pakistan-based denim mill Artistic Milliners, which has already reported greater efficiency in fit development and sample approval processes. It’s working with Browzwear’s e-learning platform, Browzwear University, to internally scale the technology and hopefully inspire more of its customers to join.
Through this partnership, Browzwear gets closer to fulfilling its goal of industry-wide adoption. “We’re excited to work together to enhance the design experience through true-to-life renderings, and ultimately continue our mission to increase time-to-market and reduce material waste,” said Sean Lane, vice president of partnerships at Browzwear.
The company will host webinars demonstrating the new enhancements on July 7-8. Users can register on the Browzwear website.