Glossary

Here at PI Apparel and Seamless.fashion, we have a detailed glossary of all the fashion terminology that internally we encounter and need to understand. It’s particularly useful as a point of reference for new members of the team. We thought others might find it useful too, so here it is!

3D Body Scanning: Technology that captures the body’s exact size and shape using depth sensors, creating a three-dimensional model of the individual.
3D Design: The process of using software to create a mathematical representation of a three-dimensional object or shape. In the context of fashion and footwear, it involves creating digital models of garments or shoes. This technology allows designers to visualize products in a virtual space, enabling them to modify shapes, colors, and textures before any physical prototype is produced.
3D Printing: A manufacturing process that creates physical objects from digital designs by layering material. In fashion and footwear, 3D printing is used to produce prototypes, final products, and customized designs. This method allows for the creation of complex and intricate designs that may not be feasible with traditional manufacturing techniques.
4D Scanning: Going beyond 3D scanning by considering how a body moves and changes shape in real-time, adding a fourth dimension – time – to body scanning.

Adaptive Footwear: Shoes designed to adjust to the wearer’s needs, often used for individuals with specific medical or comfort requirements.
Adaptive Forecasting: A method in trend forecasting that adjusts predictions based on real-time data and trends.
Additive Manufacturing: A process of creating objects by adding material layer by layer, often synonymous with 3D printing.
Agile Supply Chain: A flexible supply chain model designed to quickly respond to market changes and customer demands.
AI (Artificial Intelligence): The simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.
Anthropometry: The measurement and study of human body dimensions, crucial in garment sizing and ergonomic design.
Apex: In pattern design, the highest point of a curve or angle, often found in bust or hip measurements.
API (Application Programming Interface): A set of protocols for building software and applications, crucial in tech-driven fashion applications.
Archetypes: In trend forecasting, recurring symbols or motifs in fashion that embody specific universal patterns of human behavior.
Augmented Reality (AR): An interactive experience where real-world environments are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information.
Avatar: A digital representation or model of a human, used in virtual fitting rooms and digital fashion design.
Awl: A pointed tool for marking surfaces or piercing small holes in fabric or patterns.

⠀B

Backordering: Allowing the purchase of items that are not currently in stock, with the promise of later delivery.
Bespoke: Custom-made to a buyer’s specification, particularly in clothing and footwear.
Bespoke Design: Tailoring products, especially clothing and footwear, to individual customer specifications.
Bias: In fabric, the diagonal direction that allows greater stretch and is often used in pattern making for specific fits.
Big Data Analytics: Processing large sets of data to uncover patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior and interactions.
Bill of Materials (BOM): A comprehensive list of materials, items, parts, and components required to create a product.
Biomechanics: The study of the mechanical laws relating to the movement or structure of living organisms, applied in ergonomic footwear design.
Biometrics: Technology used to measure and analyze physical and behavioral characteristics for security, identification, and other purposes.
Blockchain: A decentralized ledger of transactions distributed across multiple computers, enhancing transparency and security in fashion supply chains.
Block Pattern: A basic pattern form used as a foundation for pattern design, without specific style details.
Body Data: Measurements and other body-specific information used to create customized and well-fitting garments.
Body Scanning: A technology used to digitally capture the precise shape and size of a person’s body. In the fashion and footwear industry, body scanning is employed to create custom-fit clothing and shoes.

⠀C

CAD (Computer-Aided Design): The use of computers in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design, widely used in fashion for digital pattern making.
CMT (Cut, Make, Trim): A type of manufacturing arrangement where the client provides the materials and design, and the manufacturer provides the labor for cutting, making, and trimming.
Cold Chain: A temperature-controlled supply chain, crucial for products like cosmetics in the fashion industry.
Color Forecasting: Predicting future color trends in fashion based on research and market analysis.
Color Theory: A body of practical guidance on color mixing and the visual impact of specific color combinations, important in fashion design.
Computer Vision: A field of AI which trains computers to interpret and process visuals from the real world, used in automated pattern recognition in fashion.
Consumer Insights: Information and understanding about consumers’ needs and preferences, crucial in trend forecasting and product development.
Consumer-to-Manufacturer (C2M): A business model where consumers directly communicate their needs to manufacturers, often facilitated by digital platforms.
Contact Points: Specific areas where the body interacts directly with a garment or footwear, crucial in ergonomic and functional design.
Crowdsourcing: Obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, typically via the internet.
Custom Fit: Tailoring a garment or shoe to an individual’s specific measurements and preferences.
Customization: The action or process of modifying something to suit a particular individual or task.
Cutting Line: In pattern making, a line indicating where the fabric should be cut.

⠀D

D2C (Direct-to-Consumer): A business model where products are sold directly to the consumer, bypassing traditional retail channels.
Data Mining: The practice of examining large databases to generate new information, particularly useful in trend analysis and customer behavior in fashion.
Demand Forecasting: Estimating the future demand for a product, essential in fashion for managing inventory and production planning.
Demographics: Statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it, used in market segmentation and target audience identification for fashion.
Dart: A tapered or triangular fold sewn into a garment to shape the fabric around the body’s contours, commonly used in pattern making.
Digital Dyeing: The process of applying color to textiles digitally, reducing the use of water and chemicals compared to traditional dyeing methods.
Digital Fitting Room: An online tool that allows customers to virtually try on clothing to assess style and fit before purchasing.
Digital Patternmaking: The process of creating, altering, and refining patterns for garments using computer software.
Digital Sample: A digital representation of how a garment looks, which is used for reviewing and modifying design concepts.
Digital Thread: In supply chain management, a communication framework that connects traditionally siloed stages in the manufacturing process.
Digital Twin: A digital replica of a physical product or process, used for analysis, simulation, and control.
Draping: The process of positioning and pinning fabric on a dress form to develop the structure of a garment design.
Dropshipping: A retail fulfillment method where a store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, when a store sells a product, it purchases the item from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer.
Dynamic Fit: Adjustable fit elements in garments or footwear that can adapt to the wearer’s shape or movements.

⠀E

E-Commerce: Commercial transactions conducted electronically on the internet, a major component of modern fashion retail.
Ease: Additional space in a garment for comfort and mobility, often factored into pattern making.
Elastomer: A polymer with elastic properties, often used in footwear production for soles and flexible parts.
End-to-End Solution: A comprehensive product or service that encompasses an entire process or project, often used in supply chain management.
Environmental Scanning: The process of systematically gathering data about external influences affecting an organization, vital in fashion for understanding market trends.
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning): Integrated management software that helps businesses manage and automate many back office functions related to technology, services, and human resources.
Etch: In pattern design, a light line or mark indicating specific information like folding, cutting, or stitching lines.
Ethical Fashion: Fashion that aims to reduce harmful impacts on the environment and ensure fair labor practices throughout the supply chain.
E-textiles: Fabrics that enable digital components and electronics to be embedded in them, used in smart clothing and accessories.
Ethnography: The study of people and cultures, where researchers observe society from the point of view of the subject of the study, used in trend forecasting to understand consumer behaviours.
Extended Sizing: Offering a broader range of sizes to accommodate different body types, promoting inclusivity in fashion.

Facing: Fabric used to finish the raw edges of a garment in areas such as necklines and armholes.
Fashion Cycles: The rise, peak, decline, and eventual demise of specific fashion trends.
Fashion Forecasting: Predicting fashion trends, colors, textures, and styles that will be presented to the consumer in future seasons.
Fashion Tech: A term that refers to the intersection of fashion, design, science, and technology.
Fast Fashion: A design, manufacturing, and retail strategy that brings garments to the consumer quickly.
FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling): A 3D printing technique where material is deposited layer by layer to create an object.
Fit Model: A person whose body is used to create and assess the fit of garments during the design process.
Fit Technology: Innovations like algorithms, apps, or devices designed to aid in achieving accurate garment or shoe sizing and enhanced fit.
Flat Pattern Making: Utilizing a basic pattern and altering it to create new designs without draping on a form.
Focus Groups: A diverse panel of people gathered to discuss and give feedback on a product or idea, often used in initial stages of forecasting.
Foot Scanner: A technology that can digitally capture the 3D shape and measurements of a foot.
Footbed Technology: Various technological implementations intended to enhance the comfort, support, and performance of a shoe’s insole.
Footwear Analytics: The use of data analysis tools and software to gather, interpret, and visualize data in the realm of footwear manufacturing and retail.
Footwear Ergonomics: The application of ergonomic principles in the design of shoes, focusing on enhancing comfort, usability, and performance.
Freight Forwarding: A service used by companies that deal in international or multi-national import and export to ensure the movement of goods.
Fulfillment Center: A warehouse designed to quickly ship products, integral to e-commerce operations.

⠀G

Garment Block: A crafted piece of fabric representing a standardized size and fit, often used as a baseline in pattern design.
Goods Receipt: A document that confirms the receipt of goods, often crucial for inventory management and payment processes.
Grade Rules: The specifications for increasing or decreasing the size of a pattern.
Grading: A method of proportionally increasing or decreasing the size of a pattern, while maintaining shape, fit, balance, and scale of style details.
Grain Line: A line on a pattern that indicates the direction of the fabric’s weave.
Greenwashing: The practice of giving a false impression of environmental friendliness.

⠀H

Haptic Technology: Technology which recreates the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the user.
Historical Analysis: Using historical data and understanding past patterns to predict future trends.
Hybrid Retail: Combining various shopping, retail, and e-commerce models to enhance the customer shopping experience.

⠀I

Inbound Logistics: Managing the incoming flow of resources from suppliers to a business.
Influencers: Individuals who have the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their real or perceived authority, knowledge, position, or relationship.
Innovation Diffusion: How, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread.
Injection Molding: A manufacturing process used for producing parts (often used for soles in footwear) by injecting material into a mold.
Innovative Textiles: Fabrics that are developed with new technologies, providing enhanced properties and characteristics.
Insole Technology: Innovations in the design and material use for a shoe’s insole, often aimed at enhancing comfort, support, and functionality.
Inventory Management: Coordinating and supervising the order, storage, and use of components that a company will use in the production of the items it will sell as well as the finished products themselves.
IoT (Internet of Things): Connecting devices over the internet, letting them talk to us, applications, and each other.

⠀J

Just-In-Time (JIT): An inventory system in which materials are only ordered and received as they are needed in the production process, aiming to reduce costs by minimizing stock levels.

⠀L

Lab-Grown Materials: Materials that are synthesized in a lab environment, such as synthetic leathers or spider silk.
Laser Cutting: Utilizing lasers to cut materials, often used in footwear for precise cutting of leather and other materials.
Laser Etching: A subtractive manufacturing process that uses a laser beam to change the surface of an object to create visible patterns.
Last: A mechanical form shaped like a human foot, used in shoemaking to design, repair, or manufacture shoes.
Lead Time: The period between the initiation and completion of a production process.
Lean Manufacturing: A production philosophy that emphasizes the minimization of the amount of all the resources used in the various activities of the enterprise.
Lifestyle Trends: Trends associated with the interests, opinions, behaviors, and way of life of a group or culture.
Line Sheet: A document that provides information on a company’s merchandise, typically including images, descriptions, prices, and order information.
Logistics Management: The governance of supply chain functions to ensure smooth, timely, and cost-effective movement of goods and information.

⠀M

Macro Trends: Large-scale, universal trends that affect or originate in multiple industries and disciplines over a long period.
Machine Learning: A method of data analysis that automates analytical model building.
Made-to-Measure: Garments or shoes made to fit one specific individual, based on their particular measurements.
Marker: A large piece of paper with all of the pattern pieces laid out to maximize fabric use during cutting.
Mass Customization: Producing batch-of-one personalized items for many individual customers.
Material Testing: Analyzing materials for properties like durability, flexibility, and strength to ensure they meet the specifications for producing footwear.
Measurement Chart: A guide that translates body measurements into standardized sizes for garments and footwear.
Micro-Factory: A small-scale, modular manufacturing space that often utilizes digital manufacturing technologies to produce items on-demand.
Micro Trends: Smaller scale, more fleeting trends that might be popular for one season or a year.
Microfiber: A synthetic fiber finer than one denier or decitex, often used in athletic footwear due to its breathability and durability.
Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ): The lowest quantity of a product that a supplier is willing to sell.
ML (Machine Learning): A subset of AI that enables systems to learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.
Modular Footwear: Shoes designed to allow swapping of components, allowing customization and easy replacement of parts.
MRP (Material Requirements Planning): A system that manages manufacturing processes, including inventory control and production planning.
Muslin: A plain, often unbleached cotton fabric used for creating mock-ups (toiles) of a pattern.

⠀N

NFC (Near Field Communication): A technology which allows two electronic devices to communicate when they are within 4 cm of each other.
NFT (Non-Fungible Token): A type of digital asset created using blockchain technology, sometimes used in the context of buying and owning digital fashion items.
Notch: Small markings on a pattern that indicate where different pattern pieces should be aligned and sewn together.
Notions: Small objects or accessories involved in sewing, such as buttons, zippers, and thread.

⠀O

O2O (Online to Offline): A business strategy that draws potential customers from online channels to make purchases in physical stores.
Offshoring: Moving a part of the production process to another country for cost reasons.
Omni-Channel Retailing: A multichannel approach to sales that seeks to provide the customer with a seamless shopping experience.
Open Source: Denoting software for which the original source code is made freely available.
Order Management: The administration of business processes related to orders for goods or services.
Outbound Logistics: The process related to the movement and storage of products from the end of the production line to the end user.

Pattern Alteration: Modifying a pattern to create a different size or adjust the fit of a garment.
Pattern Card: A card containing details and instructions regarding the making and assembly of a pattern.
Pattern Grading: The specifications for increasing or decreasing the size of a pattern.
Personalization Engine: Technology that customizes the user experience by analyzing data and predicting preferences.
Personalized Fit: Creating garments or shoes tailored to an individual’s specific measurements and preferences.
PLM (Product Lifecycle Management): The process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from inception to disposal.
Placket: An opening in the construction of a garment that allows it to be put on or removed easily.
Polymer: A chemical compound used in a wide variety of materials, including footwear production.
Polyurethane (PU) Soles: Lightweight, durable soles used in many modern shoes, created through injection molding.
Predictive Analysis: Using data and algorithms to identify the likelihood of future outcomes.
Procurement: The process of finding and acquiring goods and services, often via tendering or competitive bidding.
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM): Managing the complete lifecycle of a product from inception to disposal.
Production Planning: Organizing the scheduling of resources and processes to make a product.
Programmatic Advertising: Automated bidding on advertising inventory in real-time.
Prototyping: Creating a preliminary model of something from which other forms are developed or copied.
Purchasing Patterns: The habits or behaviors of consumers regarding buying, which can help anticipate future demands.

⠀Q

Quantitative Research: Research focused on obtaining data through structured communication like surveys.

⠀R

Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID): A technology using electromagnetic fields to identify and track tags attached to objects.
Reverse Logistics: The process of moving goods from their final destination for return, repair, or remanufacturing.
Responsive Supply Chain: A supply chain that adapts rapidly to changes in the environment or market.
Retail Analytics: Analyzing sales and other data from retailers to understand trends.
Retail Technology: The use of technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of retail businesses.
Runway Analysis: Reviewing fashion shows to determine emerging styles and trends.
Rotation: A pattern alteration method involving pivoting a pattern section to add or remove volume.

⠀S

SaaS (Software as a Service): Software distributed online and accessed via the internet.
Scanning Technology: Tools for digitally capturing the shape and measurements of objects or bodies.
Seam Allowance: Extra space added to a pattern to allow for sewing seams.
SKU (Stock Keeping Unit): A unique code for identifying each distinct product.
Sloper: A basic pattern used as a foundation for designing other patterns.
Smart Fabrics: Textiles with embedded technology, offering added functionality.
Smart Shoes: Footwear embedded with sensors and/or other technologies for monitoring and feedback.
Style Lifespan: The typical duration that a particular style remains popular.
Supply Chain Network Design: Planning and managing logistics and production across a network of suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers.
Sustainable Fashion: Fashion that maximizes benefits to people and communities while minimizing impact on the environment.
Sustainable Materials: Materials used in production with minimal environmental impact.

⠀T

Tailoring: The art of designing, fitting, and finishing clothes.
Tech Pack: A detailed document containing all the specifications for a product.
Tensile Testing: Testing how materials react under tension and stress.
Textile Recycling: Reprocessing used clothing and material scraps into new products.
Third-Party Logistics (3PL): Outsourcing logistics and supply chain management to a third party.
Toile: A prototype garment used to test a pattern.
Traceability: The capability to track products through all stages of the supply chain.
Trend Boards: Visual representations showcasing forecasted colors, fabrics, and styles.
True to Size: Indicates that a garment or shoe fits as expected based on standard sizing.
Truing: Ensuring that all adjoining seams and markings align properly in a pattern.

⠀U

Upcycling: Transforming by-products or waste materials into new, higher-quality products.
User Experience Design: Designing products with the focus on the user’s experience and interaction.

⠀V

Value Chain: The series of steps a business uses to bring a product or service to the market.
Vendor Management: Managing interactions with suppliers to ensure effective relationships.
Virtual Prototyping: Using digital models and simulations to validate and optimize designs.
Virtual Reality (VR): A simulated experience created by computer technology.
Visual Merchandising: Developing displays and layouts to maximize sales in retail.
Visual Search: Technology that allows searching for information using visual inputs.

⠀W

Warehouse Management System (WMS): Software for managing warehouse operations.
Warp Knitting: A knitting method where the yarn zigzags along the length of the fabric.
Wearable Technology: Electronic devices worn on the body, often as part of clothing.
WGSN: A global trend forecasting service.
Woven Fabrics: Fabrics made by weaving, interlacing two sets of threads at right angles.

⠀Y

Yarn Technology: Developments in yarn manufacturing, including smart and sustainable options.
Yoke: A pattern piece providing support and stability to a garment.

⠀Z

Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB): A method of budgeting in which all costs must be justified and approved, often employed in various supply chain functions.
Zero-Waste Fashion: Design principle aiming to eliminate fabric waste in clothing production.
Zeitgeist: The defining spirit or mood of a particular period, expressed in culture and ideas.
Zipper Placement: The process of attaching a zipper, a crucial aspect in garment construction.

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