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FASHION WITH THE MOUSE
Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant
27 October 2000
By: Marieke Los
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  The leading role in the fashion house of the twenty first century has been assigned to a high-tech tailor: the computer. No more pins or tape measure but a perfect made-to-fit suit for a relatively low price. Buying clothes could somehow become enjoyable.
A unique three dimensional laser scanner will create a revolution in the fashion industry. It almost seems too good to be true: a made-to-fit costume for half the price, which is actually 2000 to 3000 guilders. The made-to-fit suit will therefore come within' reach for a larger group of consumers. The profit of the retailer comes with the logistic: the retailer no longer needs to have all sizes in stock, which means he needs less storage room.
The body scanner, as this machine is called, is a new instrument that measures the body. The working method is quite simple. A body scanner scans the body through a laser beam within' a few seconds. A precise copy of the body contours is now made. A couple of years after finalizing the development of the body scan technique, it is now applied in the fashion industry.
Made-to-fit suit
With this personal digital card it is now possible to order a made-to-fit suit through the Internet. The client can indicate what kind of suit he wants in the store where he has been scanned: three-, two-, or four-buttoned, double-breasted or not, slit-pockets or not, pleated front or not. Decide on the amount of inside pockets, the lapel, rear split and buttons. The exact styled made-to-fit suit is put together with just one click on the mouse. The client can then make a choice out of wide range of materials from famous brands.
Those who wish to order an item through the Internet will be sent several pattern cards. Even though the Internet is an important link, the system only serves as a device. Fashion is an emotion: a client wants to feel, smell and see. The online fashion stores are having great difficulties since they cannot meet the consumer requirements.
The main difference between the present and the future fashion industry is a turn around of the entire process. This time it's the consumer that decides. He has a quick look at the clothes hanging on the clothing racks. He will then try on the clothes he has chosen. 60 percent of all customers decide not to buy anything because the clothes do not fit properly. 40 percent of clothes that are bought need to be readjusted, because the trouser legs are too long or because the lining shows at the bottom.
Gaining of time
Throughout the application of the body scanning the client is not the closing stage but the opening stage for the clothing manufacturer. The manufacturer works with individual sizes, whilst the client chooses the material and the pattern. Just like the traditional tailor works. The computer does most of the work, as pattern cutting for example. This is a gaining of time comparing to manually cutting patterns. This is one of the reasons why the price is lower. Two examples of the new combined action between the traditional fashion world in a virtual surrounding, were to be seen on the yearly entrepreneur fair Interstore that was held in Utrecht. Possen, which is located in Nuth, claims to have the 'absolute world scoop' by using three dimensional body scanners. Possen is as a matter of fact a marketing concept, which combines the technique of the three dimensional body scanner with the commercial possibilities of the Internet.
Bas Possen, thirty years of age and initiator of Possen.com, started his business this year and already owns two stores ('fashion rooms') where the body scans are installed. One of these stores is located in the classy Van Baerlestreet in Amsterdam. Soon other stores will be opened in Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels and London.
To simplify things the company has a mobile store at its disposal. A truck has been furnished as a "fashion room", including the 3D body scan. This truck comes by wherever there are no stores in the vicinity and also stops at big companies. Clever thing: personnel can buy made-to-fit suits during their lunch breaks, without sacrificing their private time.
Possen guarantees that a suit will be ready within' three weeks. An assistant tells us that the price for a classic three-piece suit is approximately 1500 guilders. An equivalent suit from a conventional tailor will most probably cost twice as much. For the time being only men can order made-to-fit clothes, but women are on the list of "things to do".
The so-called Personal Tailoring System was presented on the trade fair in Utrecht. In this concept the body scanner has, just as with Possen, an important function. "Possen is a marketing purpose. We are a big manufacturer of branded clothes that made the development of this system possible, president Theo van Loon from United Fashion Makers explains. What I find most interesting is the logistic element: retailers no longer need to have a big stock. Another point scored is, he says, the personal contact between the client and the retailer as a "modern tailor". Besides all this comes the relatively low price - the clothes are made in Czechoslovakia - a mighty strong trump card. Soon the first body scanners will be placed in five stores to which United Fashion Makers delivers clothes. Within' a few months there will be over sixty spread throughout the country. An authentic 'Molenaar', 'Jaguar' of 'Visser' via the virtual way, with your very own name embroidered in the lining, for something like 1200 to 1300 guilders. |
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