Tommy Hilfiger, owned by PVH Corp, will incorporate 3D design technology into all global apparel design teams.
Its spring 2022 apparel collections will be the first to be fully designed using Tommy Hilfiger’s 3D design platform.
The commitment builds upon the company’s ambitious target to digitise its end-to-end value chain.
It comes ahead of a visit to Australia by founder Tommy Hilfiger this week.
Tommy Hilfiger CEO Daniel Grieder said the technology is a game changer.
“The potential of 3D design is limitless, allowing us to meet consumer needs faster and in a more sustainable way.
“The technology has become a fundamental tool in our collection design and has the potential to significantly accelerate our speed to market and replace traditional product photography entirely.
"For our fall 2020 season, our men’s dress shirts will be 100% 3D designed and require no sample production; the difference will be almost indistinguishable from styles designed and presented historically.
"This is the future.”
In order to realize its 3D design goal, Tommy Hilfiger has founded a tech incubator called STITCH, dedicated to digitising the company’s design practices.
Since Tommy Hilfiger’s 3D design journey began in 2017, teams of software engineers, 3D design experts, and transformation specialists have developed an ecosystem of proprietary tools that enable a fully digital design workflow.
This includes a digital fabric, pattern and color asset library; digital 3D presentation tools and rendering technology.
Transforming traditional design and sample production steps into virtual processes allows for faster timelines and seamless integration into digital showrooms.
Scaling 3D design technology across apparel collections follows two years of targeted pilots that have successfully connected the 3D design platform to Tommy Hilfiger’s state-of-the-art digital showroom.
While the technology revolutionised the company’s sell-in methods, the bottom-up approach of its ongoing 3D design transformation will further expand the digitalisation of Tommy Hilfiger’s end-to-end value chain.
In fall 2020, Tommy Hilfiger will launch a capsule collection designed, developed and sold digitally, including products modeled on virtual avatars.
The initiative is the next step in uncovering the full potential of sample reduction, time savings, cost savings and sustainability by leveraging 3D design.
Associates in more than 50% of the apparel divisions located at Tommy Hilfiger’s global headquarters have been trained and educated in 3D design through the STITCH Academy, with the technology active in 20 product groups and counting.
Moving forward, all Tommy Hilfiger product teams will receive 3D design training and upskilling as standard, including designers, patternmakers, fit technicians, product developers, and merchandisers.