VALIANT EFFORT: Paris-based Lectra launched its new AI-based data production platform Valia Fashion, designed to streamline the apparel production process from fabric cutting to order processing in order to minimize waste.
The new technology is designed to help brands curb overproduction, backed up by data, as well as help brands be more attuned to customer demand for smaller or seasonal pieces, keep up with trends and a market sensitive to price fluctuations.
Lectra, which also owns marketing and social media data analysis firm Launchmetrics, said the tech can be used by brands of any size, including on-demand production.
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“It offers the whole fashion industry a totally new way to meet the challenges it faces during production,” said Lectra chief strategy and product officer Maximilien Abadie. The system is currently installed in its factory outside of Bordeaux, France. “[Brands] will also be able to optimize the use of our fabric cutting equipment and their material consumption. We have combined our expertise in the fashion industry with the power of artificial intelligence to enable them, with Valia Fashion, to collaborate more efficiently, preserve their margins and boost their growth — while meeting the requirements of sustainable development, which are increasingly demanding in the fashion industry.”
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The platform automatically analyzes and optimizes the performance of the cutting room, plus measures the environmental impact of apparel production through estimating the quantity of material used based on real production constraints. The data will assist brands in optimizing production in real time.
IN THE WOOL: Woolmark, the organizer of the International Woolmark Prize and a not-for-profit organization that helps promote select Australian woolgrowers’ products, celebrated its new campaign titled “Wear Wool, Not Waste” with an event in Paris.
The campaign focuses on the recyclable and biodegradable aspects of the fiber, highlighting that synthetic textiles do not break down and that every piece of synthetic clothing still exists on the planet. The campaign film shows zombie-like garments running on streets and falling in forests.
The first synthetic clothing was introduced less than 200 years ago and is predicted to account for 73 percent of total fiber production globally by 2030. The average polyester product is likely to survive in landfills for more than 200 years.
“Wear Wool, Not Waste is more than a marketing campaign, it’s an urgent call to citizens and the industry at large to re-evaluate fiber choices. Merino wool is inherently natural and renewable and has the potential to be a transformational solution to fashion’s impact problem. It offers a versatile, biodegradable, recyclable, and long-lasting solution — one that aligns with nature rather than working against it,” said Woolmark managing director John Roberts.
THERMORE THE SLIMMER: As fashion customers have become increasingly spoiled by outerwear that’s both lightweight and ultra warm, Thermore, the Milan-based premium thermal insulation company for apparel and outerwear, is introducing Invisiloft, billed as an innovative slim padding.
Intended for high-performance sportswear, as well as travel-friendly, packable casual outerwear, the new material is crafted from recycled fibers derived from post-consumer PET bottles.
The GRS-certified padding is available in four different warmth tiers, from 100 to 200 grams per square meter, to better serve fashion’s differentiated needs. It is machine washable and can be dry cleaned, easy-care features that contribute to its versatility.