Crystal Denim can now offer crystal-clear 3D visual samples to its customers.
The mill, a subsidiary of Hong Kong–based Crystal International Group Limited (CIGL), a global manufacturer that delivered 410 million pieces of apparel to leading brands in 2021, has teamed with Browzwear, a provider of 3D design tools for the fashion industry, to bring digital twins of Crystal’s specialty denim fabrics to the VStitcher 3D design platform.
The technology will give designers and manufacturers of denim garments greater ability to visualize designs in realistic 3D, be a time saver and reduce the need for physical samples.
Crystal Denim has been leveraging Browzwear as part of its commitment to reducing carbon emissions and lowering the company’s overall environmental impact since 2008. By 2019, the denim division had converted to 100 percent digital workflows for co-creation projects with customers and reduced sample production by over 75 percent during the initial development stage. This also significantly lessened the turnaround time and the consumption of materials, energy and water.
The Crystal Denim fabric library will be available for use in the VStitcher 2021.3 edition onwards, as well as featured in several new learning resources catered to denim design with VStitcher including a new Browzwear University course on leveraging VStitcher for denim design as well as the recent Creators Lab: Denim webinar. The course and webinar are available for viewing on Browzwear’s website.
The cooperation between the two companies is a result of CIGL’s commitment to accelerate decarbonization throughout the industry. CIGL is a signatory of the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action (UNFICCA) and a member and partner of coalitions including the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and Global Fashion Agenda (GFA). Its product portfolio consists of five segments: Lifestyle, Denim, Intimates, Sweaters and Sportswear/Outdoor Apparel.
“Browzwear has been an important partner to Crystal Denim as we strive for a net-zero emission future aligning with our Group’s Net Zero 2050 vision, not only for our company but for our industry, overall,” said Miles Lam, Crystal Denim assistant general manager of sales and business development. “We are proud to deepen the relationship with Browzwear, and believe that together, we can lead the path to a healthier industry and happier planet.”
“Crystal Denim and Browzwear share the commitment to transforming the fashion industry and leveraging technology to help businesses do better economically while doing so environmentally as well,” added Hanan Lifshitz, vice president of product at Browzwear, which was founded in 1999 and includes PVH Group and VF Corp. as some of its other clients. “In an industry as challenging as fashion, Crystal Denim’s willingness to share tools and technologies with others has conveyed a competitive edge and a testament to their ambitious goals. We look forward to working closely with the company to catalyze the changes the world needs.”