Sustainability Meets Technology

In recent years, technological advancements have brought us machines that produce products faster and more precisely than humans. We now have 3D machines that can print anything scanned, customized, and digitized in a myriad of materials. The WHOLEGARMENT® Machine built by the Japanese firm Shima Seiki, also called a 3D Knitting™ machine, can knit a sweater all in one piece – no seams or need for finishing. Amongst the obvious advantages that these machines offer in manufacturing efficiency, they offer even more in sustainability. 

Sustainability isn’t just about the environment. In addition to reducing waste to maintain ecological balance, there is the importance of maintaining the quality level of a product overtime. How can a product be made with consistency over time while factoring in human error, human capacity, budget fluctuations, and current events? More importantly, how can a product be made consistently without overworking factory workers, wasting resources, and squandering money?   

The factory Tailored Industry in Brooklyn’s Industry City has taken technological strides for a supply chain to be proud of, both financially and ecologically. This mission is accomplished by implementing manufacturing as a service through on-demand 3D Knitting™.

The machines:

3D Knitting™ machines produce little to zero waste by knitting seamlessly together and through precise pattern software that only uses yarn as is needed for each garment. The machines also diminish the “backbreaking” labor of the past and allow for Tailored’s factory workers to focus on the finishing touches of the product without rush.

The platform:

The Tailored Industry sampling and production platform empowers brands to produce what they need when they need it – all with a guaranteed margin. No inventory, no hidden supply chain costs, no waste and no delay. Brands can produce only what sells which ultimately reduces overproduction that ends up in our landfills. Not to mention the environmental and financial cost of keeping and moving inventory from storage. Their sampling platform reduces mistakes and over-sampling through a library of hundreds of base bodies that are designed for success. All in all, this subscription based manufacturing service guarantees margins and allows brands to see costs up front to better plan and sustain their business while ensuring a consistent and high quality product.

image courtesy of Tailored Industry brand partner, Aisling Camps

The future of the clothing industry has arrived and it’s here in the U.S. As brands continue to crave more sustainable and local products, Tailored Industry is meeting the demand. It’s an exciting time and the brink of a new industrial revolution – one associated with less waste in landfills and more creativity in stores.

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