CAD and the fashion industry

The uses of CAD in the fashion industry…




So many different areas of the fashion industry have now been developed and influenced by advances in computer technology. Today big brands depend on these advances to function on a daily basis the technologies help big companies with organization and accuracy this helps makes various tasks easier, faster, cheaper and sometimes more reliable. CAD is short for computer aided design and CAM is short for computer aided manufacture these two have changed the face of the fashion industry for the better making the fashion trade increase in value.



Fashion Design



There are a wide range of applications and programmers in the fashion industry almost every machine can be fitted with CAD and work smartly and efficiently to a businesses needs.



CAD is used all the time in fashion design the fashion design industry now relies heavily on this. A smart idea may lead to a product; the designer might source inspiration from a large database for e.g. images and videos this can help the designer generate ideas towards the designers collection. In the past designers have took inspiration from books, traveling, previous fashion trends, historic times etc. Today all these things are now available on the Internet or already stored on a database this means the designer does not have to travel to source inspiration behind a collection.



CAD helps the designer understand the concept behind their design. You can now scan images in to illustrator or Photoshop and develop a drawing. By drawing the basic concept illustrator allows the designer to become more flexible with the page graphic design can sometimes be added or text. CAD can enhance the potential of a drawing and allow more flexibility illustrators constantly use this technique and it is widely used by graphic designers



Production in the fashion industry uses CAD/CAM too modify a final garment and erase any flaws so they can be correctly modified for production. Not all designers will be able to visualize the end product; this is where 3D design programs come in handy. The 3D image of the product on the computer screen will help see the pros and the cons before the production process of a garment. This technology is constantly being used in many different areas of fashion not just design as the user can change prints, colour, trims, accessories and embellishments. This can be used on websites and through advertising and fashion promotion.



Fashion Illustration



CAD has made sketching faster and easier mainly because of the tools available in the software where you can draw over a sketch through using the different tools on CAD. Many tutorials are now available over the Internet and the majority of them are free this is helpful for someone training on CAD because it helps them pick up the significant skills. Illustrators find this useful because it helps accomplish drawing speed and a illustration can be created in hours. However creating a illustration manually requires a lot of tools to create results this can be very costly. Illustration requires a firm drawing hand and a full drawing can take hours CAD gives you the option to delete mistakes and create accuracy on the page. CAD has many clever features that artists/illustrators can incorporate in to their designs for e.g. the ability to turn a flat 2-D diagram into a robust three dimensional diagram. The zoom tool allows the viewer to see drawings in great detail. Transforming drawings to 3-D is a clever and constructive new technology that more and more illustrators are using to create initiative ideas and new concepts.



Pattern cutting



The fashion industry now heavily relies on computer technology to use in the pattern cutting process. The technology contains the main aspects you need to adapt patterns. This may include a laptop with pattern cutting, grading and lay planning soft wear, a digitizer, pattern scanner, plotter and cutter. All this helps companies to supply the fashion cutting industry. Stores will often use a basic pattern but adapt it digitally to create different styles or looks according to trends. You will often find sizes in different stores will fit differently a pose to each other this is all to do with digital patterning. For instance a store like River Island will use all the same measurements to ensure their sizes remain the same this is all done through CAD. There are so many different stores in the fashion industry from high end chains like New look and low budget boutiques there is CAD software to suit all budgets and needs. Like anything pattern cutting through CAD can come with benefits and problems, however with these new digital techniques it has come with so many advantages increased speed, digital patterns can be emailed abroad in seconds making the reproduction process quicker, increased accuracy programs like Illustrator allow you to a line shapes and measurements correctly, storage of patterns is eliminated because patterns are stored on software reducing store overheads so cost effective, Multiple copies of patterns can be reproduced when needed. Creating patterns digitally also allows collaborating with creating silhouettes of a first pattern and then scanning in to CAD to get the correct measurements etc. However CAD in pattern cutting also comes with its disadvantages.





Disadvantages of pattern cutting using CAD may include; the fact it takes away the learning process of modelling on the stand then creating patterns, this is a better learning process for a student as they get to manually structure a garment rather than technology doing the measurements for them. Accuracy may also be a disadvantage as a computer has done the measurements it may not always match up to the models size or sizing criteria's. Not all company's will have the funding for CAD mostly smaller business just starting out. CAD is something that is constantly upgrading to bigger and better and it is important to stay up to date with modern technology's to create the best designs, this costs money that not all company's have this could be seen as a disadvantage to a business.



The internet



The internet has been vastly made a huge impact on the fashion industry this is all done through methods of CAD. The internet has particular made a massive impact in fashion marketing and how company's market their products. Brands use computerized technologies and new digital media to market and engage with consumers, because the internet is so widely used one web page can promote a buzz around new product launches if it is posted in the right place. Big brands have took to the location-based social networking like Facebook and twitter. Jimmy Choo have recently promoted iPod clutch pads in their collection this a simple sign that the brand is moving on with the time constantly looking at ways to build the brand name up and something consumers can relate to (the new technologies)

Big fashion brands and even some smaller brands are using CAD to create behind the scenes videos and snapshots that are quickly disrupted over Facebook and twitter this can be seen as ‘trending’ Professionally produced short films are delivered exclusively on company websites and mobile apps so consumers get a feel of what a collection is about. This is where you get a trend setting and high street brands take influence from these videos and all ready made garments from catwalk collections.



From looking into how the social media network is vastly developing I came across LOFT specifically LOFTS Facebook page, the company use ‘real women’ models by modelling clothes themselves and posting them on Facebook. This sparkled a furry of media attention around the Facebook page and got a lot of positive feedback. Many brands are learning that social media networks can be used as a survey where consumers can have their opinion and brands can build upon this. This is where the use of blogs has made such a huge importance in the fashion industry today. Information in spread so vastly through the use of bloggers. Getting the right blogger to promote your brand/collection could make you a over night success. Blogging has allowed fashion houses to keep in touch with what people are really wearing. Blogging has made street style photography a worldwide phoneme it has opened a window to different street styles in various cities and cultures. Bloggers are developing a enhancement in the fashion industry there is a pure relationship between the writer and the reader. The writer bridges talent with friendship between the reader with a added element of business. This reference of business fashion this shows an extension in the fashion industry with a trustworthy source of the blogger connecting with the consumers. However like everything blogs can come with their disadvantages as blogging is all about getting everything quicker and faster company's might feel a lot of pressure to move to a faster pace. Furthermore because blogs are wrote by one independent person its just one persons opinion which will not always necessarily be true. If a fact is written by one person there is never the assurance that it is completely true. The fashion industry is all about learning and sourcing new individual influences the blogging trend does all this for you, blogging does not give you that sense of independence.



“I feel like they’re adding a real dose of freshness and reality to the fashion world online.” – Guardian reporter