[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator

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Grading For Fit Seminar at [TC]²

Seats Still Available!

March 28-30

Do you want to increase your skills in pattern making and fitting?  This 3-day course provides basic principles of fit and grading. Proper grading ensures good fit of a manufactured garment. Hands-on projects include deriving grade rules and manual grading of basic garments.
Attendees should understand patternmaking, general grading principles, and basic CAD functions.

Intro to Apparel Manufacturing – April 23-27.  An overview of processes and technologies, from fiber to finished product, is offered in this 4-1/2 day program.

To register, or for more details on these programs, visit http://www.tc2.com/what/seminars.html. 

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New Developments in 3D Forms

By Kim Anderson, [TC]²

Dress forms are not new to the apparel industry, in fact there is evidence that they have been used to assist in the fit process for thousands of years. As the apparel industry has become global, dress forms have taken on a growing importance. 3D form companies are staying on the cutting edge of new developments in order to give apparel manufacturers a competitive advantage.

Historically, dress forms have been composed of hard materials. However, assessing the fit of tight clothing is nearly impossible using a hard form. After extensive investigation, Shapely Shadow, Inc. and Tukatech, Inc., two innovative 3D form companies, have found a suitable soft material. Both companies offer forms that can incorporate soft and hard material in strategic areas to better assess fit. 

Shapely Shadow and Tukatech offer generic forms and custom forms. Data captured by a body scanner is used to create the custom forms. Each company has a unique and proprietary method for producing its custom forms using the scanned data.

Ilona Foyer, Founder of Shapely Shadow, Inc., explains that they have been working on transforming scanned data into a form for years and have now perfected the process. They have made forms of all shapes, including plus sizes, some proportionate and others not.

Using scanned data, Jason Delevan, Manager of 3D Products for Tukatech Inc., says that they have also built forms of many different sizes and shapes. They recently completed a plus size form for Lane Bryant.

Foyer says the next challenge for Shapely Shadow is incorporating movement.  She explains that elasticity is necessary in order for a form to move. The form has to be able to come back to its original shape just like real flesh. Now with their new super elastic soft material, Foyer says they can take the next step—putting movement into their forms.

Delevan says that Tukatech will probably not investigate forms with full articulation. They have developed software called the e-fit Simulator. The software is used to animate the 3D form to assess fit. The 3D images, which are draped in selected garments, are capable of a variety of motions, including bike riding and acrobatics.

Alvanon Inc., a company based in New York, also offers generic and custom forms. Jason Wang, Director of Operations for Alvanon, says they use scanned data to produce their forms. In addition, the company has exclusive access to the largest database of human scans in the world—more than 200,000 scans and growing.

Wang says Alvanon produces a number of different types of forms. One of the latest forms features a full soft body with an internal skeleton. Wang says that currently the Alvanon forms do not move but they are currently researching the possibility of incorporating movement into the form.

Alvanon, Shapely Shadow, and Tukatech will be part of the Cool Zone exhibit, coordinated by [TC]²,  at this year’s SPESA Expo in Miami,
May 8-10.  Show information can be found at www.spesaexpo.com.

Cad Modelling Ergonomics, based in Firenze, Italy, produces forms in a slightly different manner. The company makes a form called Formax®. The form is based on a patented and registered theory called “Theory of Anthropometrical Structures.” Chiara Ferretti, Communication and  P.R. Manager, says using the process is what makes them unique and able to produce a great fitting tool for designers and pattern makers.

The forms are produced using a morphological data base. The data base is a collection of scanned images of real people. A person is scanned, then their body is analyzed and categorized according to body shape.

Hard forms with a range of movement
Courtesy CAD MODELLING Ergonomics

Cad Modelling Ergonomics forms can be made with hard and/or soft materials. The hard forms have a range of movements that assist in the fit of certain garments. They can bend at the knees, hips, elbows and shoulder. Cad Modelling Ergonomics forms have also been used in a variety of research studies including a study which investigated child obesity.

3D form companies are keeping pace with the growing needs of the apparel industry by contributing to one of the most critical processes—fit. Today’s successful form companies are always thinking ahead to give the highly challenging apparel industry a much needed
competitive edge.

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[TC]² Activity

SPESA 2007 Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference
February 4-6, 2007 – Charleston, SC

By Arturo Rodriguez, [TC]² Latin America

I was invited by SPESA to be a speaker at their 2007 Annual Meeting that was held in America’s most beautifully preserved architectural and historic treasure, Charleston, South Carolina, land of the palmetto tree.

Opening the sessions, the outgoing president of SPESA, Lonny Schwartz, commented that “SUPERior” challenges lead to even more “SUPERior” opportunities, which was the main theme of the conference.

Throughout the 2-½ day conference, some 50 SPESA members and guests heard from an array of speakers on subjects ranging from being competitive in a global business environment to how to prepare and get a positive ROI from the upcoming SPESA Expo in Miami,
May 8-10, 2007.

The conference was opened by professional speaker, Chuck Reaves, from Twenty-One Associates, on the virtues of “Value Added Selling.” By applying Kaizen methodology to the selling process, Reaves challenged his audience to think outside the box and identify the driving forces of a buyer. By offering a technique based on questions to the buyer after having done “pre-call” planning, one becomes interested in the customer’s business… thus arriving at the most important function of sales: to teach. Finally, he took the group through the eight levels of VAS (value added selling); from overcoming the price objections to “teaching” the potential customer what he needs. These practices were just in time to be put into practice at SPESA Expo.

Jim Leonard, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Apparel and Consumer Goods at the U.S. Department of Commerce, walked attendees through the different trade agreement scenarios for the coming years. CAFTA, without the approval of Costa Rica, is still not fully implemented and probably will not be until the end of this year. While CAFTA serves many interests in the U.S. Textile industry, one odd issue –pocketing–has arisen and has interrupted the process. Cumulation of Mexican textiles in CAFTA, a separate Haitian trade scenario, the Korean FTA negotiations (with its textile implications), the Peru/Colombia FTA (possibly ratified by the U.S. Congress in late 2007; however, there is an FTPDEA extension in place) were just a few of the topics covered by this recognized trade negotiator. One outstanding question: “What will the apparel future hold for Nicaragua, with a new government in place?”

Charles Baker of Roka Apparel in Honduras gave testimony from the viewpoint of a very successful women’s intimate wear manufacturer that proves that there are success stories in the Americas. This ex-Warnaco ladies bra operation believes in the hidden strength of what they call the “under” team – a group of companies that form a synergistic supply chain. In other words, Roka has used the cluster approach in which more than 80% of their purchases are done in the same region. Roka has also learned that a top notch sample area pays for itself. In fact, they have a staff of 30 experienced workers dedicated 24/7 wholly to fulfill sample requirements.

On Monday morning the 5th of February, Dr. James Chan, a world class professor that helps Westerners understand the Chinese culture, provided an understanding of Chinese society, which is anthropomorphic, centered on the individual. To succeed in that land, you need representation to help you navigate in its “clan” culture, according to Chan.

A panel on Industry/Hemisphere updates including Steve Lamar from AAFA, Mike Todaro of AAPN, and myself tried to explain to the audience the answers to 10 challenging questions, including:

Because trade agreements in Latin America are still not finalized, textile firms have not committed new resources to the area. Full package, using a local rep, understanding the region’s geo-politics, “China +1” policy, it’s about companies not countries - were just some of the phrases that surfaced in a good exchange with the audience. At the end, Dave Gardner of SPESA summed up what is needed in two words...“Communication” and “Collaboration.”

Mary O’Rourke of the Jassin-O’Rourke Group discussed where we stand in regard to Global Viewpoints and Regional Perspectives. With the confidence of having spent many years doing research for the industry, she again confirmed that the Achilles’ heel of the region is the lack of a timely supply of textiles. Additionally, Fast Fashion manufacturers need to turn samples quickly, which is a capability lacking in the region. Her conclusions were that today the U.S. apparel market is supported in the following percentages:

The products the Western Hemisphere exceed in are jeans, socks, knit tops (polos, T-shirts), underwear, workwear/uniforms, and infants and children’s wear.

Wal-Mart is again taking a hard look into sourcing in Central America, and viewing all costs (landed, cost of sew, cash flow, FOB, ex-works) to make a correct judgment. Looking ahead, O’Rourke summarized that what has left the Western Hemisphere in terms of apparel production is gone, and the damage has already been done. That being said, there will always be a sewing base in this hemisphere, it is a question of identifying niche markets.

Tuesday, the last day of the event, was dedicated to the upcoming SPESA Expo 2007 show that will be held in Miami Beach, May 8-10. Mike Mraz of Skyline Displays showed how to guarantee a maximum ROI from participation at a given tradeshow by knowing that:

• 80% of trade show visitors have buying power.

• 22% of marketing executives claim that trade shows are their #1 source for leads.

• In general, trade show leads are more cost effective vs. field leads.

• A trade show is like BTB.

• 60% of all trade show visitors have predetermined agendas.

It’s all about doing the homework up front and “narrow casting,” which Mraz defined as focusing on a certain group of selected customers.
A SPESA Expo video was shown, with Dr. Mike Fralix describing the Cool Zone, [TC]²’s exhibit that combines multiple suppliers to showcase leading edge technologies in support of a totally digital supply chain... from 3D body scanning to delivering the finished goods in hours.
Richard Atwell of [TC]² presented an overview of the seminars that will dot the three days of the SPESA Expo event. There will be something for the Engineers (Lean manufacturing workshop), Designers/Pattern makers (Sizing to Fit Your Customer), Sourcing Managers (The Expense of Changing Suppliers), Marketing (Fast Fashion), Sample Dept. (One Day Samples, is it possible?), and more.

The incoming SPESA President, Frank Henderson, thanked the SPESA members for their confidence, and presented his views on the industry’s future.

Thanks to all the SPESA staff for their efforts in making this event a success.

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Sourcing at MAGIC – February 13-16, 2007

By Jim Lovejoy, [TC]²

Last week, Las Vegas was one of the few places without snow and the show attendees appreciated it. Considering the weather, the show was well attended. [TC]² presented a seminar on “Integrating the Consumer into the Product Development Process.” One example from Zara, the Spanish retailer, was presented showing how store managers using PDA’s transmitted customer comments and requests back to Zara headquarters along with the point of sale information.  Zara was set up to respond quickly with new choices of fashionable apparel. 

Another fun idea was to open a virtual store in “Second Life” to get feedback on virtual products before making real products (see www.secondlife.com ).  Your avatar in Second Life can try on and buy or sell goods.  A more quantifiable process, with higher confidence results, is a service from WDA Marketing called “Products Preferred” where an analysis of the client’s customer set is combined with expertise in constructing the questions to determine the brand acceptance down to the SKU level of detail (www.wdamarketing.com).  This can save significant resources in unpopular SKUs as well as offer guidance for quantities in assortment planning.

The hit of the show in the Sourcing Zone at MAGIC was a pavilion of US manufacturers of apparel, fabric and yarn. Under the banner of “You Wear US Well,” they were swamped with buyers looking for goods manufactured in the USA.  The group is a partnership of SEAMS, the Hosiery Association, the Hosiery Technology Center, the Textile Technology Center, [TC]² and the National Council of Textile Organizations.

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Cool Zone Profile

SK C&C and The “Cool Zone” at SPESA Expo 2007
Hot Technologies Transforming the Industry

By Karen Davis, [TC]²

Imagine trying on garments through your Internet browser, then imagine doing it on your mobile phone. SPESA Expo attendees in Miami May 8-10 will be able to see how. SK C&C will exhibit its face scanner, which will be used in conjunction with [TC]²’s NX-16 3D body scanner, to create a virtual model that can then be used for virtual try-on in the “Magic Mirror.”

SK C&C’s Ubiquitous Fashion System (u-Fashion), will provide consumers with another alternative to choose clothing in a user-friendly and efficiently high-tech manner. The purpose of the u-Fashion service is to offer an array of choices in fashion and apparel inside a ‘Virtual World’ regardless of time and place, where anyone can virtually experience an unlimited number of choices.

SK C&C, based in Seoul, Korea, was established in 1990 as a systems integrator, and has become a global IT Service provider with cutting-edge solutions. The company offers a full suite of services including IT consulting, system integration, IT outsourcing, and solutions development for a variety of industries including telecommunications, finance, manufacturing, and public services.

Dr. Jae-Hyun Chung, Senior Vice President for SK C&C Inc., comments, "At SPESA Expo 2007, SK C&C will introduce its ubiquitous solutions to the Western Hemisphere. SK C&C's u-Fashion business focuses primarily on consumer convenience and added-value by presenting visions of convergence technologies for the IT and fashion industries. Additionally, it seeks the creation of new service models, and the fruition of greater prosperity for the fashion/apparel industries in which modern consumers are dealing with a multitude of choices when shopping. u-Fashion evolves continuously, integrating its system and responding to customer's needs to unpredictable buying trends in the marketplaces."

SKC&C’s technology is part of a 4,000 sq. ft. pavilion that [TC]² is coordinating. It is the largest exhibit combining multiple suppliers, and will showcase leading edge technologies that are in support of a totally digital supply chain. The space will be divided into four areas of concentration: Product Development, Merchandising/Sales, Product Conversion, and Distribution.

In addition to the exhibits by more than ten different companies, there will be live presentations during show hours, describing the various technologies and pavilion activities in depth.

Plan to visit the Cool Zone, Pavilion 670, at the SPESA Expo, May 8-10, at the Miami Convention Center to view these products firsthand. For more information on SPESA Expo 2007, visit www.spesaexpo.com.

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Important Dates

February

March

April

May

For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com

Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors
Apparel Magazine, Gerber Technology, Intentia, Lectra, Methods Workshop and Reach Technologies.

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A Look Ahead in the Newsletter



NTC Forum

View previous editions of this newsletter

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[TC]²
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