For decades the fashion industry has been one of the trailblazers when it comes to innovation and expression. The worldwide admired industry is one of the huge contributors to the global economy as well. However, sadly the same industry has recently also become a top contributor to the world’s carbon footprint with its increasing waste production. It is estimated that apparel manufacturing produces up to half a million tonnes of water pollution alone every year. Now, these numbers can be scary, however, the industry isn’t keeping calm about it either. Digital clothing design tools, clothes design software, and other alternatives are being introduced to make fashion more sustainable.
The surging waste produced by the fashion and design industry has been one of the major concerns. With people inclining towards fast fashion, things have only worsened. Which is the reason why 18.6 tonnes of clothing ended up in a landfill in 2020. Besides, there’s always sampling waste, fabric leftovers, paper, and thread scrap to add to it. With digitalization intervening in the fashion supply chain, things are deemed to change. Designers and manufacturers are using fashion design software, digital pattern makers, and 3D prototypes to initiate an environment-friendly fashion supply chain. The idea of zero-waste design and production has emerged and is being opted for by many.
Understanding The Concept Of Zero-Waste Design & Production
While most of us may think that apparel manufacturing is responsible for producing waste. We tend to overlook the fact that the trouble begins with the design process itself. This is what zero-waste design highlights. It is a philosophy that makes designers conscious at the very beginning of the whole process. Such that design with a minimal waste scope can be generated and henceforth result in a sustainable production as well. In a nutshell, zero-waste design and production refer to eliminating any waste materials using technology, recycling, or upcycling of materials.
‘Zero-waste in the context of fashion is anything that seeks to eliminate waste from the production of clothing. Broadly, you could think about what you could do with yarn waste, the waste from cutting out patterns, the waste from overproduction, the post-consumer waste, and how you incorporate all those things into a circular model.’
–Says Holly McQuillan (co-author of Zero Waste Fashion Design)
Why Are Brands Becoming More Conscious?
Another important aspect to consider in this paving movement are aware consumers. With consumers becoming more environmentally conscious, factors influencing their purchase decisions have also changed. Consumers today want to associate themselves with brands that offer sustainable products. A recent study even stated that more than half the consumers globally are willing to pay more to buy sustainable products. These changing buying behaviors have instigated brands to opt for sustainable alternatives such as clothes design software instead of traditional processes.
Saajan Ahmed
(Assistant Vice President - Sales)
Hi, Saajan here! reach out to me with any questions you might have, we'd be glad to help.
3D Designing- A Step Towards Sustainability?
Believe it or not, 3D clothing design tools have been a blessing in disguise for the fashion industry. With digitalization taking over, more and more designers are inclining towards clothes design software to achieve maximum results in a minimum timeframe. This way they can give more time to the actual design process and skip the mundane tasks, all while producing sustainably. Before digital software, a designer had to generate at least 30 to 40 sketches, and only a dozen of them would make it to the collection.
While generating designs can be challenging, getting through the sampling cycle is even tougher. Designers had to manufacture first fits to understand the final look of their designs. If those fits needed some iterations such as change of fabric, trims, or color, they had to manufacture a whole new set of samples all over. Which meant loads of samples would be wasted and turned to scrap. This is where clothes design software became a better alternative that enabled zero-waste design and production. Let’s understand the benefits of 3D clothing design tools and how they can transform your design operations-
It Saves Your Time
3D designing can help you increase your productivity by 4 times with optimized operations. It can help you cut down your sampling time by almost 60%. You don’t have to go through the process of sampling every design you create only to end up with resampling. You can simply use cloth design software to generate 3D prototypes that can give you a complete overview of your final product
Cost-Benefit
While traditional design and production costs can strain your pocket, 3D designing can help you cap them. Usually, costs like fabric sourcing, trim sourcing, labor charges, shipment costs, and resampling costs are commonly borne by designers and brands. With 3D design software, you can eliminate the need for physical sampling and stick to virtual sampling.
No Scope Of Human Error
The fashion supply chain lacks transparency which often leads to errored operations. On the other hand, incorporating digital tools such as clothing pattern design software can help you minimize the scope of human error with optimized design and production operations. You can keep a real-time check and get easy feedback.
Easy Iterations
A design process can involve multiple changes. In 3D design software, you can easily make multiple iterations to a single design and even work on separate elements without disturbing the whole composition. Whether you want to try different fabrics, or switch between trims, or even alter the hemline, anything and everything can be done within minutes with a click of a button.
Multiple Options For Your Clients
Another major feature of 3D clothes design software is the ability to create multiple options for a single design without recreating the design. You can use a single digital design and generate multiple outputs in varying colors, hemlines, fabrics, and trims to choose from. This also helps you build an impact on your clients or buyers.
Digital Transformation Is The Future Of Fashion
With digital avatars, virtual runways, virtual stores, and so much more, one thing we all know is that digitalization is inevitable. It is here now and it’s time we embrace it to maximize our business potential and optimize our operations. Now 3D clothes design software might have multiple benefits and the capability to reduce the global carbon footprint of the fashion industry. However, there’s still room for improvement and much more advancement. Yet, it is something you can’t miss out on to become relevant in the future of fashion, which is sustainability.
