Delivering personalization at scale will be a major growth driver and a strong competitive advantage in the next future for fashion companies. The fashion industry is changing faster than ever: consumer needs and behaviors are becoming more sophisticated, more technology-driven, and harder than ever to predict.

Brands, retailers and manufacturers are sitting on a goldmine of business opportunities. Personalization being the most promising one. It will play a vital role in the Fashion revolution, creating the alternative to fast fashion, bearing true individual values and social responsibility at its heart.

Lectra
Rights: Lectra

Lectra: the “Fashion on demand” solution

For this reason Lectra launches its “Fashion On Demand” offer: a I4.0 based fruition of four years of R&D with a hundred-strong team of experts, empowering industry players to uncover new business opportunities brought about by the strong demand for personalization in the Fashion industry. Lectra is enabling its customers to produce on demand with an end-to-end offer that automates the entire personalization process, from product development to final cutting stages. “Fashion On Demand by Lectra” is part of Lectra’s strategic roadmap announced in 2017, and there will be a progressive global rollout starting from January 2019.

Pros and Cons of On Demand Production

Customization is an advantageous business model for fashion companies, as it allows them to accurately match supply with demand. By simply knowing ahead of time what and how much their consumers want, companies can produce in precise quantities and avoid overstocking and markdowns. In addition, as consumers pay upfront for their orders, it improves cash flow for businesses.

However, today fashion companies are encountering huge barriers to entry for on-demand production’s market. Without the appropriate technology, many of them have to rely on their standard supply-chain infrastructure that lacks the flexibility to create and produce these products.

Lectra
Rights: Lectra

Lectra’s offer: the specifics

Drawing from 45 years’ experience of working with international retailers, manufacturers and brands, Lectra developed this offer to empower fashion companies to meet the specific needs of their digitally savvy clientele with best-in-class solutions. “Fashion On Demand by Lectra”, available in the form of two packages (one dedicated to made to measure, the other to customization) automates on-demand production right from order reception to production development stages and the cutting room. Companies can define the product customization criteria and range for each item depending on the package (such as altering product characteristics for customization and pattern adjustments for made to measure) without interfering with their standard workflows.

Daniel Harari’s comment

Daniel Harari, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lectra said: «Personalization, or rather on-demand production, is going to be an industry-wide phenomenon. It is hence Lectra’s duty to think ahead of time. Keeping our customers’ best interests in mind, we’ve worked with renowned personalization specialists from different countries to develop this solution. With “Fashion On Demand by Lectra”, in the fashion industry there will be a comprehensive personalization solution that will be able to perform under the same market conditions as the ready-to-wear segment and produce the same, if not better, results».