Role of Software and Technology in Fashion Designing
Tushar Govind Soliwal
Department of Textiles (Fashion Technology)
DKTE’S Textile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji, India
Intern at Textile Learner
Email: balajisoliwal152001@gmail.com
1. Introduction:
The role of software and technology is very much crucial in the fashion designing. Not even fashion industries but other textile and manufacturing industries also adopt various technologies for speedy growth in the process and to increase the production. The technology in processing contributes to reduce work in process, production time, and decrease the labor costs. Nowadays all the engineers are working on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and designing the software to increase the production, quality and efficiency of the product, and it helps to maintain standardization. Application of technology in the fashion sector increases the customer’s satisfaction with increase in change over time. As we know, the fashion industry is the largest industry in all over the world, so to achieve full potential in every part of the supply chain system, the use of artificial intelligence and various technologies like multifunctional custom POS systems should be preferred.

Fashion designers are always looking for new creative ideas and opportunities; they have a great ability to convert ordinary objects into attractive artwork through their inventions, so this technology plays an important role. Nowadays the use of technology through any kind of process makes the process faster and saves total time by simplifying human efforts. Some software’s like apparel magic, 3D body scanning, computer-aided design, and coral draw are popular software’s and chiefly used in today’s world. Thus, the role of technology is very much crucial in fashion designing. Some important software and technologies in the designing process are explained in this article.
2. Different Ways of Technology in Fashion Designing
Today, technology and fashion have become almost one and the same. Because the human being is totally dependent on technology and technology is an inseparable part of our lifestyle. It’s because of the use of smart phones and automation in the process. Technology makes the process compact and easier. In the fashion world, technology plays a very important role. Since technology helps to showcase the fashion trends of various fashion brands so that customers as well as designers earn more and more profit and other benefits too. Let’s see the ways in which technology aids fashion designing.
2.1 Social Media:
Social media is one of the powerful and correct ways to explore our ideas and creativity in front of the entire world. Fashion designers can connect very easily to their respective clients and explore their networks to other countries, so with the help of social networking they can promote and showcase their products, their products there designing (Products) in front of their national or international clients. Social media gives contemporary requirements and research ideas to the designers to make Mood boards and Storyboards. Fashion designing process starts from inspiration, so the technology and our social networks inspire fashion designers for modern as well as quaint designs. Thus, social media is the best market booster for designers and Haute couture’s for their clothesline. So we can say social media seeks and offers various opportunities available for fashion designers.
2.2 E-Commerce:
Buying or selling of goods through the internet is called E-Commerce (Electronics Commerce). E-Commerce is another good intersection of service and technology through which many fashion industries and designers deal with their customers. By only visiting the website, we can purchase our products without any personal interactions. Designers can sell their product at domestic or international places with the help of social media and e-commerce. Many traditional business sectors are converted into online stores and they improve their marketing strategies because of the use of e-commerce.
Many fashion brands provide their service via some app’s like Amazon, Flipkart, and Myntra and other, through which customers can purchase their favorite costumes, brands, and various products there. So, e-commerce is the truly best advantage of technology through which designers can potentially sell their design across the world very conveniently.
2.3 Payment Portals:
Today, penetration of debit and credit cards is reduced because of the smart and online payment system. Payment transactions are started becoming cashless because many people are adopting/using software’s like Paytm and Google-pay for money transaction. This technique of transaction helps many shoppers and to traditional business sectors for easy and quick payments. Some fashion trades/ companies provide some offers or Cashback after the transaction, so customers keep coming back for more.
3. Application of Software in Fashion Designing
In the fashion processing we use various applications and software. Today software is mainly used to make the patterns, in cutting techniques, also for printing and stitching the garments. So various software are used to make the process compressive and efficient. There are other software like Adobe Photoshop, Vector, Coral draw, and fashion illustration that are used as designing software. These software are used for pre-production sampling or trials. At present, many popular companies are using advanced software to protect their data and trade secrets. By doing so, they can secure all the information related to their companies for future references.
3.1 Apparel Magic:
Apparel Magic is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and also a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) used by many apparel companies. Apparel Magic is a software used for total control of apparel operation as an intuitive tool, which is now very easier and faster too. It manages inventory as well as customer relations. It’s an integration of Shopify jour and new orders. Apparel magic can easily take your business to next level efficiently and affordably. Its plans and analyze style raw material cost and production. So, we can get all results in the big picture instantly. It helps to design and plan a track for the design process, including management of the product design, sourcing of material, and management of inventory with sales and supply. This software provides help to the customer to analyze the profitability of orders (accounting) and gives prizing suggestions.

It’s the famous apparel software in fashion designing that provides the latest updates with features. Utilize maximum income by the goods of demand of products, a chart produced by this software is used to make the presentation of the process and take an effective utilization.
It provides some other features and advantages like:
- Integrate online sale channels as a central hub and provide us goods of service too.
- Improve product margin.
- Monitor the ongoing costs and labor expenses.
- Management of raw materials through the workflow.
- Streamline your inventory and supply chains.
3.2 3D Body Scanning:
3D body scanning is software that helps designers and manufacturers to make garments according to their actual body measurement and proportion. Only by referring 3D body model of that consumer, a retailer will create and design the garments which fit perfectly. This software scans and records all the dimensions of the body without any physical contact. After the recording of the dimensions, the software creates a 3D model of that consumer, and then retailers can view in all various angles of that model. So it helps to create a precise garment for fitting and draping. The main advantage of this software is, Manufacturers or designers can drape the clothes virtually instead of trying them physically on the end-users. They can also apply accessories and non-textile materials on that model as per the choice of the consumer. Fashion industries, the animation industry, and other sectors like gaming, medical, and engineering are already adopted 3D body scanning techniques for a different levels of application.

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Advantages:
- It removes the need for guess or predicting data during pattern development.
- Provides details of specific consumers to create a greater depth of data to drive a product.
- Design accurate outfits for complex bodies.
- Provide dimensions of the body by analyzing captured images of mobile phones.
- Increase productivity and save the time of online and offline retailers.
3.3 CAD (Computer-Aided Design):
CAD stands for computer-aided design. A designer can stitch anything with the aid of a computer that’s why it is called computer-aided design. The link between CAD and fashion designer developed over the decades with the changing time test and face of fashion. So CAD is nothing but the use of computer technology for the process of design development or collection development in Fashion. CAD designing has become more common because of its easy accessibility in fashion designing and it is an indispensable tool for designers. The use of CAD grew from the idea that new textiles could be created by scanning existing designs and making the modification. Computer-aided designing increases the productivity of the designer as well as improves the quality of design. It also serves as a database of manufacturing and creates designs at a faster rate with extra accuracy.

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Advantages of CAD:
- Pen of different types of sizes is available to the artist.
- The CAD offers a different range of colors, in millions of shades.
- It provides the designer with a variety of images and fabric designs that will take days to draw manually.
- The garment designs can be stored in computer memory and then these designs can be used further for other applications.
- The output of 2D or 3D design can be viewed at any360 degrees of angle.
- With the help of CAD software, designers can visualize and represent their designs as a graphical model in a computer in a fraction of time.
- Designers can make quick corrections in their designs because of the software’s flexibility and also test out varieties of designs of fabrics.
So, the adaptation of CAD software in fashion sectors brought massive advancements for designers to imagine and draw their new styles.
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3.4 CoralDraw:
The CorelDraw is a graphics designing software. It is mainly used for creating business and invitations, cards, logos, and other kinds of vector designs. With the help of coral draw, we can create a design from simple lines or shapes into a complex type of design with various special effects. The artwork is created with the help of mathematical equations instead of pixels and gives output in the form of a vectored file.

Advantages of CoralDraw:
- Save time and labor and give output with greater accuracy.
- Designers can apply various color combinations in one design.
- Quality of design (final design) or image not affected after zoom in or zoom out this main advantage of Corel draw is used to create big banners and holdings.
- Provide features like customization and reliability.
- It allows creating multiple logos and designs in a single page layout.
- CorelDraw QR code generator makes a QR code for your website and it helps seekers.
4. Conclusion:
Thus, technology changed the meaning of productivity and overcome the geographical barriers in the standard of living. If we adopt and apply some techniques/skills in processing (designing), technology may become an inseparable and important tool thought out in the workflow. In the feature, fashion brands definitely use new technologies to bring greater intelligence and automation in the production process for the betterment of goods and services.
As marketing trades are changes so designers can remain abreast with their competitors. Software integrate processes as well as technologies. So, the utilization of technology through any kind of process makes that process faster with less human effort. The technology manages inventory and customer relations. Designers can create any kind of artwork form their groundbreaking.
5. References:
[1] https://iifd.in/technology-role-in-fashion-designing/
[2] http://www.dezzain.com/technology/technology-trends-effect-on-fashion-industry/
[3] https://blog.2checkout.com/advantages-and-challenges-of-accepting-payments-online/
[4] https://vocal.media/01/7-modern-technologies-used-in-fashion-design
[5] https://www.getapp.com/website-ecommerce-software/a/apparelmagic/
[6] https://govisetech.com/3d-body-scanner-software-how-does-it-work/amp/
[7] https://dreamzoneschool.com/blog/fashion-cad-course-kochi/
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Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. Mr. Kiron is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.