Photo credit: The Fabricant
At a glance
Industry 4.0 has cultivated a digital revolution that has accelerated the transition to a world that embraces the Internet of Things (IoT). The interconnectivity of devices, data and digital innovations such as digital twins, has the ability to further the sustainability agenda.
For fashion in particular, the use of digital twins can mitigate fashion’s seismic waste challenges, improve garment provenance throughout supply chains and enhance operational efficiencies.
What’s more, in tandem with the application of blockchain, AI and machine learning, these disruptive technologies are catalysing the industry’s shift to virtual retail experiences, as well as digitised brand communications.
Futuristic dreams of 3D sampling, fashion video gaming and using data to drive zero waste initiatives, are now very much a reality.
This article explores how digital twins and technology can accelerate fashion players’ commitments to transparency and sustainability. With valuable insights from Kelly Vero, a digital guru, gaming veteran and head of Fashion & Games at So Real, it uncovers the infinite possibilities of digital twinning and ruminates on what the future looks like.
In focus
What is a digital twin?
A digital twin is a replica of an object that exists in the physical world. These twins collect data from the real world, that is then used to construct it digitally. The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), which focuses on the interconnectivity of devices and everyday objects, such as clothes has increased the prevalence of digital twinning.
Digital twins & garment provenance
The complexity of fashion supply chains have made it inexorably challenging to identify corruption, malpractice and environmental mismanagement in production. However, blockchain technology, as well as digital twinning has helped remedy these issues.
Traditionally, fashion garments and their various components have been hard to track across the globe but with smart textiles and a digital version that contains the correct data properties of an item – companies can now identify and trace the provenance of clothing. (You can read more on this here.)
For example, in 2019, Gucci began incorporating radio-frequency identification (RFID) smart tags into their items. These tags have the capacity to pull important information from a product to verify its origin. From a luxury stand point, this is critical to combat the global total trade in fakes which is estimated to sit at $4.5 trillion as of 2019.
In a presentation on innovating fashion through technology with Lone Design Club, Kelly shared how data of a digital item can enable users to drill down to the smallest of details to identify and protect a luxury patented design. Using the case of a Louis Vuitton bag, So Real’s use of technology allows the team to drill down 30-50 micrometres compared to traditional methods of 5 micrometers. It helps organisations evaluate everything from handles, closures, loops, piping and stitch style and track the pieces accordingly.
Digital twins innovate sampling processes
Digital twinning allows a user to address current pain points in the design process that are creating unregulated levels of textile waste. This is important to address off cut fabric waste and redundant samples created during the design phase. Uptake of these digital technologies helps to remedy the fact that the textile and apparel’s sector non-renewable raw material usage is set to reach 300 million tons by 2050.
Kelly noted that logistics in the fashion industry are tainted by samples that get sent to and fro across the world and are eventually dumped in landfill. Digital twins and data objects are the perfect solution!
This is extremely valuable in order to recuperate carbon emissions experienced throughout a product’s life cycle. According to a report by the Carbon Trust, a simple white t-shirt is responsible for emitting 6.5kg of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) into the atmosphere. This compares to one hour spent creating a digital carbon that requires energy that emits the equivalent of 0.312kg CO2e.
Fashion’s environmental footprint is transformed by the invention of digital twins as they are a solution that saves on creating and the shipping of samples. Their mass adoption will be critical if the industry is to move away from its trajectory of accounting for 26% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Developments from virtual sampling to a product lifecycle management system (PLM) described by Kelly will further digitise zero waste initiatives and reduce the need for raw materials. A product lifecycle management (PLM) is an information management system that integrates data, processes, business systems, direct development and 3D visuals.
Remodelling the sampling system was a key theme that ran throughout the 2020 Sourcing Journal Summit. Many discussions focused on how, in order to achieve sustainable supply chains, businesses should capitalise on easy wins. Of these wins, in particular was the focus on the reduction of physical samples, aided by the rise of 3D sampling and digital twining. Suppliers who harness the power of innovative software in this arena will have a competitive advantage – this is becoming increasingly apparent in Vietnam, where companies are collaborating with South Korean technology firms to adopt such software at a fast pace.
Mark Burstein, President & Chief Strategy Officer of NGC, an apparel sourcing software solutions provider, noted that the use of AI and digital twinning will help retailers predict sales trends and act as a powerful demand sensor to be used for forecasting. Through digitised supply chains, organisations will be able to run various scenario analysis to maximise on time and resource efficiency.
In Conversation with Kelly Vero, Head of Fashion & Games at So Real
I had the opportunity to speak with Kelly, who has over 25 years’ experience in virtual reality technologies, video games and working with digital twins. Kelly is currently Head of Fashion & Games at So Real – a company that uses scanning and conversion technology to automate the product of digital twins of 3D objects.
Q: Can digital options be more sustainable than a circular economy?
A: Digital represents a huge opportunity for sustainability. Whilst the circular economy is an important solution, it is one of many. We are able to sustain digital articles throughout any lifecycle, for example a wallet today created using digital mesh will still be in existence in 20-25 years’ time.
(This was one of my most valuable takeaways from Kelly. Fashion’s current emphasis on circular is not a silver bullet to reducing environmental impact. We are also finding limitations to ‘circular’ materials that are not infinitely recyclable which presents waste management problems.)
Q: Will the transition to digital be led by luxury players?
A: As it stands, out of 1700 luxury and non-luxury houses in fashion, only 4% of these have digital maturity. We can define a digital mature company as one that is using 3D in its applications and the overall ability of an organisation to embrace and respond to technological developments in the market. The statistics show that the transition to digital is a must for both luxury and non-luxury players.
Q: How do you think digital twins can help fashion’s sizing problem?
A: Standardised data created through digital twins can help the changing face of sizing. The study of metrology will help us deduce what clothing fit should be. Through scanning and digital twinning, we are able to create proof on what universal sizing should look like. The meta data inside the digital object gives us an enhanced understanding of everything from the SKU code to taxonomy, physical parameters, values and object size. Importantly, the So Real team were the first people to create a digital twin of a t-shirt and deduce what actual fit is!
Q: What are the current barriers to adopting digital technology?
A: Currently, the main obstacle to adopting digital technology is the apprehension in investing in high quality digital infrastructure. As more businesses realise that digital will help them be more sustainable, we will see an uptake in digital maturity.
It’s also really important to remember that ‘hand-made’ does not exclude the use of digital, it is merely an important tool to speed up the process!
(With this in mind, brands with a focus on artisan craft making should still consider evolving their digital processes to achieve more sustainable operations and long-term growth.)
Q: What are your predictions for the future?
A: In the future, we are likely to see things being increasingly data driven to enhance value and make the fashion process more iterative. As more data is passed between manufacturers and retailers, this will make the value offering less static. We are likely to see data being used for the personalisation revolution. An example of this would be a pair of Nike or adidas’s running trainers. Algorithmic data will also be used to create perfect clothes and swimwear to match our bodies and to create fashion for each individual shape.
Here are some exciting innovators in this space:
–1trueID – Use blockchain technology to provide brands with digital DNA for their products for anticounterfeit and storytelling.
–Everledger – A firm that uses blockchain, AI and IoT to verify a business’s sourcing. They are currently the only company in the world to have created time stamps for diamonds.
For a full list, click here.
Kelly is currently working with a team of innovators to launch a sustainable fashion game soon, you can sign up for updates here.
Watch the Lone Design Club discussion with Kelly about innovating fashion through technology.
If you enjoyed this article, take a look at sustainable blockchain solutions and the uncovering of fashion technology here.
Read more on fashion’s digital upgrading via the Business of Fashion X McKinsey’s 2021 State of Fashion Report.
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