Top 9 Technology Trends Reshaping The Fashion Industry In 2021
Virtual and Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Clothing among Top Fashion Tech Trends
The fashion industry is still one of the largest industries in the world, generating an estimated $1.5 trillion per year. Unfortunately, the way the fashion industry operates today has changed very little from its ways of designing and producing over the past twenty years.
Social media and the rise of a digitally savvy consumer have changed the way fashion is consumed and have trained customers to want instant access to the latest trends while younger generations also want to stand out from the crowd and seek products that can be tailored to their preferences and needs.
As this continues, it forces brands to adapt and become responsive to the needs of their market and adjust to a fast-changing environment. As our lives become more intertwined with the digital world, many designers and brands must embrace new technology to push the limits of manufacturing, production, marketing, and wearability.
One of the top trends we see influencing gender-inclusive design is Artificial Intelligence and AR/Virtual Reality. Companies such as personalization platform
TRUEFIT employs an online fit engine that helps users find an adequate fit with brands and new styles on the market, Another prime user of AR/VR technology is 3D rendering companies
EFI Optitex and CLO3D who have greatly improved the expensive and lengthy process of finding an adequate fit. They’ve shown how to take the essential components of a design, like flat sketches and technical patterns, which can then be morphed into simulated 3D renderings. This then allows users to quickly adjust for cutting, loosening the fit, and to make all the necessary adjustments in real-time.
Why we should apply UX to fashion design
UX design has shaped me into a more well-rounded designer.
People usually see HCI/UX design as a freshly developed field that only applies to technological products. In the real world, it’s always been improving and incorporating our daily lives long before the term was verified.
I work in fashion. To be more specific, I am a textile designer but I have been implementing UX ideology into my designs since my junior year of college. During my senior year, I had one runway show of my own, my own showcase at CFDA, and multiple press releases. I was living
the fashion dream but something wasn’t right. Only after thorough self-reflection had I found myself feeling uneasy with the creative process and the thinking behind the fashion industry. (
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