Most members of the womenswear industry will agree that the two
biggest areas in need of evolution are sustainability and size
inclusivity. Tech-based brand RedThread is looking to kill both birds
with one stone.
RedThread offers made-to-measure womenswear at a relatively
affordable price point between 78 dollars for a custom T-shirt and 158
dollars for a black dress. It uses 3D imaging technology and an
in-depth questionnaire to determine each customer’s perfect fit, and
allows specific customization items on each piece before sending each
order into production with a turnaround time of one week.
“The fundamental problem with women’s clothing is that the industry
assumes women’s bodies are standard, and our bodies are far from it,”
explained Meghan Litchfield, the brand’s CEO and founder to FashionUnited.
“Most brands design clothing based on one fit model, and scale the
designs up and down proportionately to create a range of sizes,” she
continued. “In reality, women are beautifully out of proportion, with
ins and outs all over our bodies, and rarely fit into these limited
size blocks. In addition, despite assuming we are standard, there are
no standard sizes across the industry, and measurements vary wildly
across brands, making sizes arbitrary.”
Litchfield explains that these issues with sizing lead to excess
waste within the fashion industry due to overproduction of size runs,
as well as high return rates that can be costly to the brand.
RedThread uses a patent-pending technological process that employs
a tailoring algorithm and use of 3-D body scan technology to deliver
the right fit to its users. This, teamed with the facts that the
consumer experience is completely digital and the brand doesn’t need
to foot the costs of keeping inventory, allows it to offer clothing at
the prices it currently lists.
“There are so many challenges when it comes to creating custom-fit
clothing,” Litchfield commented. “Before we launched, we spent 18
months testing our patent-pending process on hundreds of women all
over the country to make sure we had it right, and we are still
constantly questioning and improving.
“Custom clothing has traditionally been labeled as expensive, hard
to get, or time consuming. We are using technology to democratize
customized clothing with an easy and fast shopping experience. With
the trend towards body inclusiveness and individuality, consumers are
rallying behind our mission to get rid of ‘standard’ sizes and being
real about body shapes.”
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The fashion industry is not yet ready to adopt made-to-measure system
Though RedThread has developed a system to deliver custom-fit
clothing to consumers at an affordable scale, the fashion industry as
a whole is not close to bringing this type of fit-model to a wider
scale.
“Real change and innovation are hard, and big brands are not nimble
enough,” Litchfield said. “Driving change in an archaic industry
requires time, money, and sweat. We have spent years developing
designs, technology, patented processes, and systems to create a
magical experience where custom-fit clothing is delivered in one week,
from just a few photos. Very few brands and companies are willing to
make a real investment in innovation like this.”
Litchfield admits that producing womenswear fit to the traditional
view of standard sizing is much more efficient and cost effective to
the brand, though this system has its own downsides. Because of this,
a brand’s desire to deliver custom-made clothing must come from demand
from the consumer.
“We are seeing big trends away from mass production and towards
customized, artisanal craft, in industries from furniture to shampoo.
Consumers are investing in pieces that last and reduce waste, and as a
result, fast-fashion is quickly dying,” she said.
The RedThread CEO said she envisions a world where every piece of
apparel can be produced on-demand to reduce waste, without
mass-produced sizes that don’t work for the real human body.
“In addition to consumer demand, the industry needs to evolve from
how clothes are designed, to the way clothes are made, and all the way
down to how women shop,” Litchfield added. “This transformation will
take time, and we are happy to be one of the first brands to pioneer
it.”
Image: RedThread