Skype's the limit for print design

MELBOURNE: The days of niche designers having to wait in line to get their hands on differentiated fabrics could well be a thing of the past.

Melbourne textile research and development company Fibrematrix has created an innovative tool that allows for the mass-customisation of textile design.

The tool links Skype software – which enables free internet video and audio calls – with new technology that can create multi-dimensional stitch structures.

Fibrematrix founder Phil McKercher said design flexibility would be dramatically enhanced by the new system.
"We’re talking about being able to create unique, individual pieces for mass market prices, which is what mass-customisation is all about," he said.

"If you're a retailer on Chapel Street and you require a knitwear fabric, this system will allow you to design it and have the finished product returned to you within days."

Another key benefit was that the system allowed unit costs to be unaffected by run sizes.
The Skype-based platform would prove invaluable to the Australian market, which was increasingly comprised of independent niche designers, according to McKercher.

“Living and working down under no longer means being isolated by the tyranny of distance. Skype brings the world to any desktop open for business on a local or global scale."

Fibrematrix's "fibre into fabric" approach – which relied on stitching rather than printing technology -- could produce fabric with any image, colour, stitch pattern or texture. This meant unique designs could be created instantly, with the end user able to watch production in real time, he confirmed.

The system has already been showcased successfully in the US, with a number of leading global apparel brands expressing interest in using it to customise sections of their offering.

While it could be some months or years until Fibrematrix achieved broad market uptake, it heralded the same impact on the fashion industry as the birth of the internet had on communications, McKercher said.

"At the moment many companies can't get into the supply chain. Unless you're a big spender or you have an agent that can squeeze you onto the end of someone else's run it's very hard. Fibrematrix is going to change all that."

By Belinda Smart