Report on Feasibility Study on Made to Measure Garments free essay sample

When evaluating consumers’ dissatisfactions with apparel that has been mass-produced and is readily available in the marketplace, there are several recurring themes. The first is an overwhelming criticism about how garments â€Å"fit†. While fit is a subjective variable, at best, it is nevertheless a problem that almost every consumer has had at some time. In the apparel industry, accurate measurements are very important as the first step to determine correct sizing and to create garments customized to a specific target market.Historically, tailors and fashion designers used measuring tapes to obtain the physical measurements of the bodies they created for. This method has been time consuming, invasive, and often inaccurate, based on who took the measurements and how they took them. Until just recently, only tailors and couture houses actually still used real body measurements to create or alter the clothing they produced. Unfortunately, the sizing systems that have developed through the years are neither standardized nor related to the average human’s body measurements. We will write a custom essay sample on Report on Feasibility Study on Made to Measure Garments or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While we know that garment sizing can be impacted by production inaccuracies, we must face the fact that many garments were sized or proportioned incorrectly for the target consumer, from conception. This specific problem has encouraged the development of 3-D body scanning technologies that will enable rapid and accurate extraction of individual consumer’s measurements. This ability will enable redevelopment of current sizing systems, as well as production of Made-To Measure Garments. In a Made-to-Measure garment, customer’s measurements are first taken by a made-to-measure retailer (BRAND store).It is sent to the manufacturer and the manufacturer makes that single garment. Then the garment is dispatched to the retailer (BRAND store) who delivers it to the customer within 1-1? weeks. It is similar to Tailor-made garments; the difference being that it is provided by a BRAND e. g. Raymond’s. The primary benefits to the customer of made-to-measure clothing are that garments will be well-fitted to the customer’s body and the customer may have the opportunity to customize the fabric and design. To order a made-to-measure garment, the customer’s measurements are first taken by a made-to-measure retailer.Then a base pattern is selected that most closely corresponds with the customer’s measurements. This base pattern is altered to match the customer’s measurements. The garment is constructed from this custom pattern. The primary benefits to the customer of made-to-measure clothing are that the garments will be well-fitted to the customer’s body and the customer may have the opportunity to customize the fabric and detailing. The primary disadvantage of made-to-measure is that the customer must wait up to several weeks for the garment to be sewn and delivered.Made-to-measure retailers often travel internationally meeting clients in cities, providing samples of the latest materials and styles. One of the most active made-to-measure retailers in the U. S. is Noble House, based out of Hong Kong and has a group of salesmen who travel to a variety of major U. S. cities. CUSTOMIZATION – CASE STUDIES FROM APPAREL INDUSTRY 1. Bodymetrics Bodymetrics is a UK based organization that deals in made-to-measure jeans. There is a 3-D scanner which takes about 200 measurements in 5 seconds. The measurements are used to create a virtual replica of the body from which a digital pattern for the jeans is created. Clothes are made in the Far East or North America. Prices start around ? 250, or $482, per pair of jeans. They don’t carry any stock, are never on sale, and receive cash upfront before manufacturing. They have very high sales per square foot – about $2000. 2. DNA Style Lab They sell customized T-shirts. In this model, the company commissions a number of artists from around the world. They contribute design elements which a customer can select. The more graphic elements a user selects, the more expensive the final product gets.In this model, the artists will get their full price, the user pay for the graphic elements they select (about $5); the company itself makes its profit from selling the core product which is about $10. 3. Ziami Ziami is a German company, who make custom made shirts for about â‚ ¬29 and custom-made suits for about â‚ ¬99. They use multi-level marketing approach in their model, in which whosoever purchases a â‚ ¬50 starter package, becomes a custom shirt seller. The distributors purchase a custom shirt for â‚ ¬22 and sell it for â‚ ¬29. Manufacturing is done in China and Thailand.The major complaints are unstable quality, bad customer service and poor fabrics. 4. Zafu. com It asks women shoppers 11 questions about how they prefer jeans to sit on their hips or waist to create a body profile. The results are used to match the user with as many jeans as could suit them from a database of hundreds of styles, from broadly marketed Gap to pricey Seven, then link them to a retailer to purchase. Zafu also allows women to save their profile making the process even easier next time they return. This helps them also to inform customers when a new jean is added to their assortment that exactly fits their body style.However, if a user does not want to leave any data, she does not have to do register etc. Zafu. com is profitable because first, Zafu does not carry any inventory, but directs customers directly to the web sites of affiliated retailers and gets the usual commissions between 5-20% of each sale. Second, they will provide in-house fit recommendation services to online and offline retailers, helping the customers of just one brand to navigate the assortment in a store or online shop better. STATEMENT OF THE STUDY: The objective of the study is to carry out a Feasibility Study on Made to Measure Garments and devise a marketing plan for the same.OBJECTIVE The Feasibility study shall be extended to the three segments of the Supply Chain. * To determine whether the made to measure concept will be acceptable to the end consumers of the Indian mass * To assess whether the facilities required for made to measure garments can be provided by the Retail organizations * To determine whether the production of the made to measure garments will be feasible for the Garment Manufacturers NEED OF THE STUDY The study aims at checking the viability of use and manufacturing of the Made to measure garments for the Indian mass.This study will benefit the organizations who are interested to launch such garments. It will help the manufacturers to make a decision whether to proceed with the production of such garments. This study will give them an insight as to whether the production of single-piece of such garments, is feasible or not. It will also help the Retailers to decide whether or not to get into the field of providing such garments to the customers. This study will also increase the awareness among the end consumers and s tudy the demand for such garments. REVIEW OF LITERATURE:Perched at the edge of the 21st century, the textile and apparel pipeline is at a critical juncture. Even as the mass production paradigm continues to dominate, a new paradigm, mass customization, is emerging and will continue to grow in a parallel path. Critical information, manufacturing, delivery and service technologies now exist to allow consumers to create their own products and manufacturers to individualize products. A significant number of consumers report being dissatisfied with the fit of apparel. Mail order companies find that fit is one of the primary reasons for garment returns.Fit problems can be perpetuated by consumers’ perceptions of their bodies. Often consumers blame themselves for not fitting into garments. Confronting and dealing with fit problems can be an arduous task for apparel manufacturers and retailers. Those delving into the issue can find themselves engrossed in such specific details as the accuracy of their armscye width grading, as well as broader concerns, such as how a persons stance, or posture, affects garment fit. In today’s apparel market, consumers desire to personalize the style, fit and color of the clothes they buy.According to Kurt Salmon Associates’ 1997 Annual Consumer Outlook Survey, 36% of consumers are willing to pay up to 15% more for customized apparel and footwear, and will wait up to three weeks to receive their customized product. Most of today’s consumers require high-quality customized products at low prices with faster delivery. With this sort of consumer interest in mind, the concept of â€Å"Mass Customization† emerged in the late 1980’s. As the market for mass customization begins to heat up, companies are joining forces to develop innovative technologies aimed at improving product development and production efficien cies.Mass customization is quickly evolving from an art into a science, and in the true spirit of research, companies within the apparel supply chain are now combining their elements in hopes of getting the chemistry just right. From consumer data capture to short cycle manufacturing to drop-ship deliveries, the wheels of progress have been set in motion and industry authorities are now predicting a surge in the market. To date, most of the technological progress in mass customization has been made in the pre-production arena.For example, there has been continued development of body scanning technology over the past few years and the parallel introduction of computer-aided design (CAD) functionality, which is automating many aspects of product development and pre-production, from design conceptualization through marker making. Given the changing characteristics of today’s consumer interests and industrial competition, mass production systems cannot satisfy both manufacturers and consumers; however, a mass customization system may achieve both manufacturer and consumer satisfaction, providing a low-cost customized product.BANGALORE: Formal wear is seen as something of a misfit in India’s tropi cal conditions. But driven by large sales during the marriage season and increased exposure to the latest fashion trends, apparel companies are beginning to custom-design formal wear to suit individual requirements. While Madura Garments has launched a ‘made-to-measure’ initiative from its ‘Louis Phillipe’ stable, its cross-town rival Arvind Brands had earlier kicked off a ‘BeSpoke’ service offering for ‘Arrow’, its premium formal wear line. ‘‘Our made-to-measure initiative looks at three parameters: stature, chest and waist size.For instance in chest size 40 we will have around 20 options,’’ Mr. Rishi Vasudev, category head (suits) at Madura Garments, told ET. In total, this offering will have over 150 options for customers. The company claims that suits under this initiative involve 128 different operations, integrating 56 different components. Madura officials said that based on various requirements, an exact fit will be computer-generated within 21 days. The made-to-measure suits begin at over Rs 20,000 and go all the way to Rs 50,000-plus. While LP is an Rs 150-crore unit, suit sales account for around Rs 22 crore-Rs 23 crore. Incidentally, Madura Garments earlier sought to expand the market by introducing suits under its budget ‘Peter England’ label. Peter England suits are today available for as little as Rs 2,000. ‘‘Most suit sales in India happen during the wedding season. In addition, suits in India are not worn as often as in the West, where the climate allows daily wear. We are targeting this top-end buyer who wants to buy a great suit for that special occasion,’’ said Mr. Hemchandra Javeri, president, Madura Garments. Festive wear, incidentally, can get as glitzy as you want with gold thread and diamonds inlaid into the suit or shirt fabric, according to industry executives. However, Madura seems to have been pre-empted in its foray into the cut-to-suit formal wear segment. Arvind Brands had launched BeSpoke services for its Arrow premium wear line in May 2007, incorporating over 17 options. Mr. Janak Dave, business head, Arvind Brands, said BeSpoke Services are available at 12 cities and 22 outlets, and customers can take home a custom-tailored shirt in five working days. ‘We found that we were losing around 15-20% of our walk-ins because they could not give them a particular size or collar option,’’ says Mr. Dave. To try and counteract these losses, Arrow today offers half-a- dozen collar options including traditional button-down as well as more fashionable ‘Chinese collar’ (Hamilton) options. So, potential Arrow buyers today have an option of two types of full sleeves and the half-sleeves, as well as a range of cuffs and other styling elements. Arrow today does over 200 shirts a month under its BeSpoke services, for which it promises door delivery.