For the longest time now, fashion consulting has been specific to the wealthy and celebrities. I strongly believe that it is now time to bring personalized fashion design and consultation to the mass market at little or no cost. I have been entertaining an idea, a use case of the IoT for the fashion industry for over one year now. I believe the end-to-end ecosystem is now ready for the implementation of the solution, which could disrupt the fashion industry and globalize it even further.
It is well known to fashion consultants that if you have short neck, you should not wear polos or high round necklines, and if you have long neck, you may wear turtleneck or high collar jackets… and many more hints and tips. All fashion tips and hints are provided based on body proportions, and of course excellently-tailored when combined with the demographic (age, social status, profession, culture) and the personality of the person. So far, this luxury service of fashion consultation and tailored design has been available to the upper-class and elite. Well, not any longer with an end-to-end IOT solution.
Imagine entering a digital booth, equipped with sensors, in form of mirrors, sensor tapes, light, waves or other, where a digital profile of you (your exact 3D avatar twin) will be generated. Now imagine a world of fashion and clothing retailers where the fashion designers are sitting on the top layer, designing styles for different body proportions, and an algorithm that (based on entries from professional fashion designers) matches the best style across all clothing items (including the best underwear, corset, girdle, bra, or other, as well as the shoe, accessories and even the best color of lipstick or rouge) for the avatar of the customer, all in one shot, and within the price range that the customer selects. Also if the customer choses to share their age, profession and family income level (or even better, share their LinkedIn, Facebook or other social media profiles), the style would be more tailored to them, apt to their social status and personal taste. I bet that shopping for a bathing suits will be much easier and less arduous through this solution, especially for ladies with lots of curves in their bodies, and so many different swimsuit styles.
In this new world of fashion, competition and value creation will shift towards who has the best fashion advice for the shoppers. Cost saving will be huge for retailers, as people will not need to line up in front of the fitting rooms and less salespeople will be required in the stores. Returns, refunds and exchanges will decrease as items are better tailored to customers.
Globalization will be possible at much less cost and in much more efficient ways. No store will be required in the area. People will just shop using their avatars, and will receive the clothes that are recommended to them by top-level professional fashion consultants regardless of where on the planet they live.
On the other hand, fashion designers, clothing manufacturers and retailers will gather more and more information in their databases to gain much better understanding of their customers’ profiles, improve their designs, focus their marketing strategies more effectively, and cater to their customers’ needs in a more personalized fashion.
People in general will be much more fashionable and good looking, while they spend less time and money on their shopping. Imagine a working mom of two kids; the gift of time and fashion would be invaluable to her! Add to it the impartial advice from a professional fashion designer, instead of a retail salesperson thinking of their sales percentage more than anything else. Shoppers will trust the advice, brand and their manufacturer more, which will in turn add to the reputation of the brand.
Other excellent use cases will be shopping for families, friends and seniors. Their avatars will be generated once (may be once every two to three years), shared with friends and families (if they wish), and always available if people go shopping for them. This will be useful if you are visiting someone (parents, grandparents, children or friends) in a different city and would like to purchase clothes as gifts.
Another opportunity is offering the service in the Middle East, where people are rich but for cultural or religious reasons, women do not feel comfortable going out for shopping or changing frequently in fitting rooms, especially for undergarments.
This is not the end; 3D avatars can be uploaded for fitness and medical advice. Notification can be sent to the individual if their posture is changing over time, or is an indication of a health issue. Another use case would be in dating, where people’s 3D avatars can be added in their profiles, of course upon their permission and authorization. You may think of dozens of other use cases for different industries, including modelling, sports, and much more.
Let’s go one step further and imagine how convenient the solution would become if the 3D avatar can be generated through an application on a gaming console, digital cameras, or a digital mirror hanging in your bedroom! People may get naked in the privacy of their living room instead of a booth in the shopping mall or a retail store, stand (or turn) in front of their gaming console (or use any other sensor) to generate their 3D avatar, upload it, choose what kind of cloths they are looking for, and wait for the best styles and size to be recommended for them. You might be able to even try the recommended items on in the magic mirror (before holograms become available to mass market) and check how they look on you before you purchase, or ask for alteration if you prefer shorter skirts!! Pair the mirror with 3D printers (already available for making clothes) and make your own clothes at home, based on the recommended designs of professional fashion experts!
In this new dreamland, all you will need to do is to stand in front of a mirror and say “mirror, mirror on the wall, make me the prettiest of all”, and then press a button….genies will take care of you in the blink of an eye.