WEEKLY THREAD: CUSTOMISATION IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR AND A NEW DEFINITION FOR FAST FASHION

“As demand for customised production and product personalisation accelerates, the team at Fashion Enter have embraced digitisation, and continue to invest in the future. The fashion academy teach vital manufacturing skills alongside the new technologies that will redefine the fashion workflow. What’s unique is that the teachers are in fact highly skilled industry practitioners (not software technicians) imparting invaluable experience”. Debbie McKeegan

What’s driving customisation in the manufacturing sector and why we now need to redefine “fast-fashion” production

As consumers and industry practitioners, technology impacts us in-person, every minute of every day!…With these seemingly endless electronic offerings, we have all become accustomed to having what we want, and when we want it, with ever increasing expectations. 

We demand simplicity of execution, speed alongside service, smart software, smart processes and the precious gift of time…to do more?

Technology has accelerated the pace of life and the speed of sale

As digital technologies develop within the supply chain, actions are automated, skills are digitised and intelligent algorithms predict our next move.

Customisation is ever present across all industries, once a luxury of the wealthy, personalised experiences and products are now the norm, we want to feel unique and seek gratification with every pixel or byte.

All of the above have created new commercial opportunities and have transformed the application of the technologies we utilise today within the Textile supply chain. From Design to production and onto retail - software and smart tech are transforming the manufacturing workflow as it adapts to meet the expectations of the consumer. 

Whether you are a creative, a supplier, manufacturer or retailer the growing requirement for customised production can no longer be ignored.

The supply chain must adapt and we must all develop new skill sets to succeed:

A few weeks ago I interviewed Jenny Holloway….

As a champion of British fashion and sewn manufacturing, Jenny and her talented team have created an ethical, sustainable business that manufactures sewn products in the heart of London. Her team are agile and smart, with an eye on the future. Fashion Enter has adapted to the present, by reinventing the past utilising software, and by investing in the digital future. 

One of the first steps taken some years ago was to develop a new tool - Galaxia - to cost, measure and plan production.

Fashion Enter is an ethical, social enterprise where staff are valued and all are equal. But that’s not all - The Technology Academy - which sits alongside production is protecting the future of their business and the industry itself. The Fashion Technology Academy provides onsite training for all aspects of sewn fashion - Design, Pattern making, grading, cutting and sewing.

It’s an environment that nurtures excellence and importantly offers training for the entire manufacturing workflow in a real-time production environment.

As demand for customised production and product personalisation accelerates, the team have embraced digitisation, and continue to invest in the future. The fashion academy teach vital manufacturing skills alongside the new technologies that will redefine the fashion workflow. What’s unique is that the teachers are in fact highly skilled industry practitioners (not software technicians) imparting invaluable experience. 

As we evolve further into the use of 3D technologies for fashion production (and retail) the academy now also provides instruction on the use of the Optitex software suite. Fashion Enter is not only providing an essential hub of learning for the digital designer, pattern maker, seamstress, or tailor but also provides vital links to the industry working with 33 retailers to offer apprenticeship training.   

Sustainable, Ethical manufacturing is at the heart of the Fashion Enter business, with a smart production unit capable of small, medium or large scale on-shore manufacturing serving the UK’s fashion retailers on a short time scale. 

Securing a viable future for the UK’s manufacturing industry by investing in vital skills, the model is a beacon to the Industry itself. A working demonstration of smart manufacturing which importantly delivers a new definition of the term “Fast Fashion”.