From the Sector

• Connect people, data and processes with Lectra’s latest solutions to power up design and development teams

Paris – Lectra, the technological partner for companies using fabrics and leather, introduces collaborative solutions specifically developed for design and product development teams, enabling fashion companies to affront tighter deadlines and handle wider product mixes with speed and serenity.

With the rise of e-commerce, digitally dependent consumers expect personalized, innovative fashion delivered to their doorstep at the click of a mouse.

Fashion companies are struggling to keep up with consumer demands and looking for new ways to speed up design and development without compromising quality. Design teams work faster than ever to deliver fresh, eye-catching collections. Product development teams rush to transform new designs into consumer-ready products. Given the accelerated pace of the fashion marketplace, information sharing has become vital for these teams.

Lectra has developed two new solutions to fulfill the specific needs of these teams, Lectra Connected Design and Lectra Connected Development. These solutions deliver collaborative environments that integrate business applications to aggregate, standardize and store data from all design and product development stages. These innovative solutions make every-day working life less stressful by allowing criteria-based searches, inciting users to capitalize on data links, and providing them with innovative tools and services to speed up their processes.

Lectra Connected Design facilitates collaboration between textile and fashion designers, colorists, graphic designers, technical designers and their managers by providing design teams with a connected environment. Team members can access the platform via their Lectra Kaledo® design software and Adobe® Creative Cloud, share inspiration and review collections together or upload inspirations via dedicated mobile apps. This solution gives users the visibility needed to streamline, automate and monitor the entire design process to ensure that they remain creative under severe time constraints.

In the same way, Lectra Connected Development connects patternmakers, graders, technical design teams, managers, cost and margin specialists, marker makers and sample teams through data. It allows team members to connect through Lectra Modaris® 2D and 3D patternmaking software and Lectra Diamino® Fashion marker-making software. Thanks to the wide range of standard libraries and mobile applications provided, teams will improve the efficiency of technical specifications creation. The automation of business processes and real-time communication allow product development teams to avoid errors and deliver the right product quality and fit.

“We recognize first and foremost that today’s fashion industry professionals need to feel well-equipped and at ease in order to perform well under tight deadlines,” explains Céline Choussy Bedouet, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lectra. “We are confident that by introducing a new and easy way of collaborating through sound data management, both offers will help design and product development teams work faster and more easily to build quality into the products they design and develop. That way, they can reach their fullest potential as key contributors to their companies’ success.”

Lectra brings together partnership schools and industry experts to discuss how changing professions
in fashion are impacting training programs

Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather,
technical textiles and composite materials, recently welcomed partners from the world of
education to the company’s Bordeaux-Cestas campus for its eighth education congress. The
event was dedicated to the mega trends shaping the fashion industry and impacting
professions from design to production.

Over fifty representatives from among the most important fashion schools in Germany, Canada, China,
USA, France, Hong Kong, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Sweden, participated
in this biannual meeting between industry experts and teaching professionals.

Fashion professions are evolving as companies make their first steps towards Industry 4.0, adopting 3D
and rationalizing the lifecycle management for their collections thanks to PLM. Lectra’s congress enabled
schools to discuss the developing role of designers and patternmakers, and the new elements to be
integrated into training programs.

Lectra illustrated future changes through presentations on design, patternmaking, 3D prototyping, and PLM.
“It is fundamental to bring innovation experts in the industry together with fashion schools, because
students will drive the evolution of this industry,” stated Pascal Denizart, Managing Director of the Centre
européen des textiles innovants (CETI).

Working with schools to design courses which meet the needs of fashion companies has always been at
the heart of Lectra’s education program. During the event, the company presented collaborative
experiences between partner schools and fashion brands, such as the competitions organised by Lectra
with Missoni, Balenciaga, and Armani in Italy, as well as Peacebird in China and JC Penney in the United
States.

In the United Kingdom, Lectra collaborated with COS (H&M group) and the Arts University Bournemouth
(AUB) for a competition centred on the design of a collection with zero waste.
“The process was totally digital, from design to the creation of a virtual prototype in 3D. Our students learnt
to optimize each stage of the process. By leveraging the use of Kaledo®, Modaris® and Diamino®, the
collaborative work between AUB, COS and Lectra is exactly the type of project that enormously motivates
our students. Live briefs developed with leading fashion brands and Lectra offer excellent opportunities
which directly inform industry currency and student employability,” explained Penny Norman, a lecturer at
AUB.

The event also shone the spotlight on China and its major role in the evolution of the fashion industry.
Li Min, Vice-Dean of the fashion and design faculty at Donghua university in Shanghai spoke of the event,
organized by Lectra, which brought together major Chinese companies, experts, and representatives from
the biggest schools in China.

“Exchanges on the impact of the Made in China 2025 plan on the fashion industry can better prepare
students for tomorrow’s professions, where digital and automation will occupy a far more central position
than today,” testified Li Min.

"The fashion industry is evolving so fast that sharing insights and best practices with experts and other
fashion schools has become vital to ensure we offer the best learning experience and technology tools to
our students", said Dr. Trevor J. Little, Professor of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management in
the College of Textiles at NC State University.

“Lectra’s eighth education congress confirms the company’s commitment to our partner schools. We
shared our analysis of the market, the digitalization of the eco-system, and how Industry 4.0 principles can
be applied to the fashion industry. We also discussed mass customization and the role of PLM. While these
are key subjects for our customers, many schools are only now approaching them. We are preparing
tomorrow, today: Lectra is supporting our customers, and schools to play an essential role,” concludes
Céline Choussy Bedouet, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lectra.

With less than four months to go before Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles takes place, the domestic market is showing strong signs of rejuvenation. China’s economy has stabilised recently, with 2016 GDP recording a 6.7% increase and reaching USD 10.7 trillion, while the National Bureau of Statistics also stated that the total sales of consumer goods last year rose 10.4% to nearly USD 4.8 trillion. Not only will the estimated 10 million couples getting married every year contribute to the strong demand for home textiles products, but the ascending living standards resulting from increased urbanisation together with the flourishing hospitality industry are also driving forces for the market. Apart from the domestic market, the Chinese home textiles industry is also actively opening up new markets around the world, particularly in the ASEAN region where exports continue to increase.

Along with the national 13th Five-Year Plan, the home textiles industry has also set its own development plan for the coming five years. Industry leaders, the China National Textile and Apparel Council and the China Home Textile Association, have announced that the home textiles industry is to be modernised by incorporating more innovative, technological and artistic elements. Annual growth of 5.5% and 3.2% for revenue and exports, respectively, are targeted, while automation is to be further promoted to enhance productivity.
Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd added that the prevalent whole-home trend in China will also stimulate the market as a whole. “More and more companies are starting to promote the whole-home concept which emphasises unified styles of decoration throughout the entire home to customers. Compared to demonstrating home textile products separately, showcasing whole-home furnishing is more appealing to Chinese buyers and will encourage sales. The synergy among products, especially those between home textile products and furniture is the emerging trend at present,” said Ms Wen.