Lectra, a leader in integrated technology solutions for industries using soft materials such as apparel fabrics, technical textiles and composite materials has announced the success of its early-adopter program for its Modaris 3D system.

For the past 18 months, Lectra has been running an early-adopter program to monitor this radical new way of working with a targeted group of approximately 40 fashion companies in seven countries. The goal was to implement and validate, from proof of concept to production, 3D technology throughout the complete collection development process with multi- disciplinary teams from design to product development to subcontractors and producers.

The program included a cross section of different types of clothing, price points and markets ranging from luxury to ready-to-wear to technical sportswear, to children's, women's and men's markets.

Each project included one or more season's worth of collections from the concept to production phase to ensure complete mastery of this new process and a robust solution. "3D technology is a real revolution for product development. By providing a common visual language for everyone involved in the process-from design to pattern-making to marketing to suppliers-Lectra's 3D solutions build bridges between departments and offer a new way of working that is faster and delivers far more consistent fit and reduced time to market," says Anastasia Charbin, Fashion Marketing Director, Lectra.

Single solution for flat pattern-making and 3D prototyping

 "Lectra combines the best of pattern-making, draping, and virtual sampling all in one seamless digital process and has set the industry standard for product development solutions. We are thrilled at how the fashion industry has embraced this new, modern way of working," says Daniel Harari, Lectra CEO.

Lectra's 3D technology represents the culmination of several years of R&D development and close collaboration with early-adopter customers. The company says the results are obvious in the solution's improved usability.

"Five years ago in another role earlier in my career, I used Lectra's 3D technology. The solution has come a long way and I am impressed by how quickly you can now work," says Nicolas Boucaud, Pattern-Maker at Christian Dior Homme Prêt-à-Porter.

"Lectra quickly understood our process and was able to adapt to our needs. They took a real interest in the way we work, which I found very professional," says Patrice Marie-Alphonsine, Head of Pattern Development at Christian Dior Homme Prêt-à- Porter.

Lectra's virtual fitting room has been developed to be as accurate as a live fit session and practical for both designers and pattern-makers. The ability to work with flat patterns and 3D simulations at the same time contributes to more accurate finished patterns, which preserve style and fit decisions made throughout the development process.

"With the 3D solution we have managed to eliminate various prototyping phases. Now all the departments involved in making a product can work closely together from the first simulation," explains Amedeo Iossa, Product Manager at the Italian sportswear company Macron.

Fewer physical prototypes

Prototyping is one of the most expensive and time-consuming phases of product development and traditionally, three, four or even more prototypes were needed to validate style and fit. With Lectra, that number can be easily reduced by half, the company claims. Lectra eliminates intermediary paper and fabric prototypes, saving a physical prototype for final validation, where it is needed most.

"Our objective in adopting Lectra's 3D technology was to ease communication, reduce misunderstanding and errors and decrease the number of physical samples from two or three to a single prototype," says Simone Mayer, Managing Director at Maier Sports, a German sportswear company.

"Our Lectra solutions work well between Germany and China and we are now looking to expand them to our production facilities in Turkey. We are convinced that 3D is the future of our industry and we are happy that we found the right partner to accompany us."

With 3D prototyping, pattern-makers can also visualize entire size ranges on screen, which makes controlling quality from the smallest to largest sizes-and not just a base size-possible. This is particularly impactful for companies that cater to consumers with diverse morphologies. Cordeiro Campos, a Portuguese family-owned textile company that produces 300,000 garments a year, believes the benefits of reduced time to market and prototyping costs made possible with 3D have helped them maintain strong business growth despite a difficult economy.

"We were recently named one of the best small- to medium-sized businesses in Portugal for the second year in a row. We believe our choice to partner with Lectra has allowed us to stay competitive and expand our business," says José Augusto Santos, Shareholder and Manager at Cordeiro Campos.

By creating opportunities to see and modify style decisions early in the development process, 3D technology has reinforced links between departments and enabled companies to make profound changes in their product development process. The result is more collaboration between internal teams, but also with external suppliers and sub-contractors. For this reason, Lectra partners closely with every customer that embarks on a 3D project, in order to understand each one's unique needs and ensure rapid mastery of the solution.

www.lectra.com