Sectors covered: Technological innovation in textiles and clothing
Innovation priority: Advanced digitised manufacturing, value chains and business models
Start: 2020
ELIIT funding: €70 000
Introduction
The STYLE 2 GARMENT project provides European fashion microfactories with a product platform equipped with 3D garment visualisations. This is a tool for linking a library of sophisticated garment cut patterns with textile surface designs.
The tool visualises realistic, pattern-based representations of finished garments at the sample stage or in endless variations without producing prototypes. The standardised formats and datasets generated by the tool and stored on the platform help streamline industrial production information. At the same time, the platform also helps SMEs to connect with new customers and production partners.
What's the goal?
The objective of STYLE 2 GARMENT is to offer a sustainable and cost-efficient tool that reduces the economic and environmental costs of sampling, and increases the speed of prototyping for European fashion microfactories and SMEs.
Key challenges
A critical challenge which STYLE 2 GARMENT aims to overcome is that technological advancements are often only available to big grands. The objective to put these into the hands of European fashion SMEs. The platform will establish partnerships with clothing makers from southern Europe, textile printing microfactories and other clients.
How has ELIIT helped?
The project coordination and mentoring support from AITEX allowed the ELIIT partners to formulate a realistic business model. It also enabled them to create a platform prototype that is sufficiently viable to be developed further over the coming years. The funded sum of €70 000 funded an in-house 3D visualisation centre at Mitwill’s microfactory, including hardware, software and the complete training of a full-time 3D designer.
In the end, thanks to ELIIT, Mitwill and its tech partner Albstadt-Sigmaringen University expanded the necessary expertise for making and scaling up digital garment making business models, which is still ongoing.
Another significant aspect is integrating the platform into partners’ operations to increase process efficiency and move towards digitisation. The deployment of the STYLE 2 prototype up to this level is being being supported by ELIIT.
Meet the partners
With its on-the-spot design, rapid in-house prototyping for microfactories and cloud-based supply chain coordination, Mitwill Textiles offers a wide product portfolio at competitive prices. Its products align with customers’ needs and embrace innovative solutions to facilitate all processes, from design to garment production.
Albstadt-Sigmaringen University’s Textile and Clothing Technology programme (TEX) enables participants to learn about connections between textiles and innovation. The study programme is for people who
- are interested in textiles, fashion and sustainable products
- want background knowledge about production conditions and how smart textile production technology works
- want to design their own products
- manage the production of innovative products
introduce new developments to industries like the medical technology sector
SME: Mitwill Textiles SA
Country: France
Founded: 2013
Technical provider: Albstadt-Sigmaringen University
Country: Germany
Founded: 1971