Technology Penetrating Fashion World

Technology has propelled the growth of human society in innumerable ways. From the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter to advanced robotics and health care, technology has rapidly assumed the status of an arguably indispensable and highly effective tool in the modern era. Now, a wide array of different styles of clothing is now possible, aided by powerful technological tools that supplement and shape the creative ideas of fabric designers. The fashion industry has always been fast-paced, but in the digital era, it has the capacity to change faster than ever.

In recent years, technology has been penetrating in the fashion world at a very fast rate. With the shift from retail shopping, technology’s impact has been difficult to ignore especially with e-commerce fashion zones. This change applies to everything in the industry, from design and marketing to production and sales. More often than not, technology and fashion seem to have trouble understanding each other but when it comes to the new world of fashion augmented by the latest in technology, it seems like nothing is impossible.

There are many latest trending technologies revolutionizing the world of fashion, from the clothes we wear to the industry that supplies them. The progress of man’s concept of fashion has also transformed over the ages. Starting from merely covering ones body with natural fur to protect it from the vagaries of the natural elements in ancient periods of human existence to designing special suits and fabrics woven out of exotic materials to meet adverse environment requirements like space and desert surroundings, man has always shown ingenious capability to engineer requisite changes in the fabrics.

The concept of fashion to has seen a marked shift with the variety of choices available in the present times. Of course, technology is a major driving force behind fashion trends. Technology is revolutionizing how businesses operate, with the use of data analytics, artificial intelligence, virtual technology and so on-leading to streamlined and efficient processes. In light of these technologies, the retail sector is growing as well as the need for retailers to adapt to the new landscape and embrace the turning point of the fashion world.

Electronics sometimes aren’t flexible enough or don’t form to the body quite therefore fashion designers find it easy to mould their tech to fit it better. The role of computers is unarguably prominent in fashion technology. The visualization of the final design right at the conceptualization stage, down to the finest detail, making suitable modifications if so desired, automating several stages in the manufacturing process and, finally, executing quality control procedures, all of them involve computing at various levels of complexity.

Be it creating an eye-catching design using CAD or running the computerized knitting and weaving machinery, automation is fast becoming the first choice in the fashion industry. All these are gradually transcending from being mere fantasies to reality. Digital clothing that incorporates sensors in the very clothing that one wears and other fascinating possibilities lie in store - courtesy the largely interdisciplinary explorations into the field of fabric and fashion technology. At a more mundane level, one could most definitely be pleased by the thoughts of having clothes made to precise specifications at a much faster rate and with several times more durability.

Mobile and e-commerce technologies brought about the first wave of transformations for the fashion industry. Now, we can look ahead to the next possibilities for retail, more specifically virtual reality technology. Using mobiles customers can easily browse through the various items and with one click and they can purchase whatever clothes they want to. However, there have been many occasions where brands have suffered the backlash from customers who received items that didn’t match their online equivalents or simply didn’t meet expectations.

One of the most significant outcomes of the famed Industrial Revolution was the mechanization of textile manufacture. The power loom and the mechanized cotton mill resulted in a huge increase in the quantum of production by shortening the time required for production manifold. In the more recent times, there has been a proliferation of novel materials designed, and this has enhanced both the quality and adaptability of fabrics.

Introduction of New Technologies in Fashion

Overall, digitalization has completely evolved the fashion industry. With the introduction of new technologies such as AI, IoT, VR, and mobile customers can expect to receive a more personalized experience that caters to all their needs and concerns. Ranging from special applications like the design of suits for space travel, swimsuits and suits for military purposes to the usage of more durable and adaptable garments for daily use, these methods have proved to be extremely effective. Several research centres have sprung up to investigate these exciting possibilities.

The new VR platforms are arising that are changing the game by merging the now on the rise. Try on and buy are becoming a big hit in the fashion world. Dressing Room, an app is using augmented reality technology to enable shoppers to try outfits on customized to the correct measurements before purchasing an item. These platforms, change the online shopping experience for the better, as virtual platforms engage and retain the customers for longer.

Now, customers can physically see the product on themselves or in the intended space before purchasing is helping online shoppers with buying the right look and size by a smart blended reality mirror overlaying clothes on to users. A genius tool that further helps online retailers to reduce the number of returned items is AI (Artificial Intelligence) the most pioneering technology helping brands and retailers with predictive forecasting, capacity planning and merchandising while improving product availability and faster, more accurate deliveries.

Over time, these platforms provide added value to the retailer, as brands can gain valuable insights through regular customer use, which can be leveraged to provide customers with a more personalized experience. Digital transformation is resulting in changes previously unimagined, and we can only expect this change to rapidly advance. Therefore, it’s time for retailers to embrace the new fashion landscape or get left behind Innovation takes place at the intersection of fashion and technology, representing a powerful way to connect consumers to brands while providing distinct shopping and wearing experiences.

New technologies and textile innovations are not only changing how the fashion industry functions, but also how its products interact with the environment and consumers. Streamlining processes, developing more efficient systems, and modernizing operations within the fashion and retail industry are indispensable components of the fashion tech sector.

Supply chain technology makes processes more efficient, while the use of data analytics, social media tools, artificial intelligence and augmented reality help guide purchasing and business decisions. The blockchain is a new digital record guaranteeing product safety, authenticity and ethical standards as records cannot be altered once added to the blockchain. Consumers can rest assured where and out of what material an item was made, who it was made by, the conditions they worked in and how much they were paid.

Textile innovations and recycling processes are playing a major role in the development of a more sustainable future of fashion. Commercializing a completely new generation of textiles as well as bioengineered clothing solutions that are less demanding on the environment, creating more value, while reducing the damage caused by the fashion industry and consumers. Contactless payment integration with smartwatches or smart clothing is simply convenient and prevents theft. But it can also provide insights into consumers' purchasing decision process by identifying individuals and developing personalized experiences for them.

In contrary to digitally enabled experiences both online and offline, more physical and will be back in focus. Fashion became a complex business involving long supply chains of production from raw material, textile manufacturing, clothing construction, shipping, retail, use and ultimate disposal of the garment.

Innovation in the way clothes are made has not kept pace with the acceleration of how they are designed, made and marketed. Fast fashion still represents a relatively low-tech production system, only slowly becoming more tech and sustainability-focused.

Written By: Divya Bishi