Recorded at PI Apparel Vietnam, in this talk, Elly Cheng, Director of Digital Product Creation at Makalot Industrial, provides a comprehensive overview of the current state and future potential of digital product creation in the garment manufacturing industry.
The session covers:
AnIntroduction to Mikala: Elly introduces her company, Makalot, a top ten garment manufacturer based in Taiwan. She outlines Makalot’s growth, including its IPO in 2003, innovative efforts, and expansion into producing medical garments and reaching $1 billion in sales by 2021.
Digital Tools in Manufacturing: Cheng discusses the use of 3D digital tools in manufacturing, tracing its history back to 2006. She highlights the challenges and developments over the years, including significant improvements in software and hardware around 2017 that made digital tools more effective.
Efficiency and Speed: Cheng emphasizes the time-saving aspects of using 3D tools in the design process. She explains how digital creation allows for rapid modifications and multiple variations, reducing lead times significantly compared to traditional methods.
Physical and Digital Integration: The presentation covers how Makalot integrates digital simulations with physical processes. Elly discusses techniques like scanning physical strike-offs (samples) to create realistic digital representations, thereby combining digital and physical elements in the product development process.
Sustainability and Training: She highlights the sustainability benefits of digital product creation, such as reducing material waste. She also discusses the role of digital tools in training new technicians and preserving knowledge as experienced masters retire.
Challenges and Limitations: Elly addresses the limitations of digital tools, particularly in accurately simulating certain fabrics and garment construction details. She stresses that for some aspects, such as fitting and testing new materials, physical samples are still necessary.
Future of Digital Fashion: The talk concludes with insights into the future applications of digital fashion, including augmented reality platforms, digital garments for online avatars, and the potential to sell digital versions of garments alongside physical products.
