Standards are here for virtual garments and leading the way is ISO 18163, “Clothing – Digital fittings – Vocabulary and terminology used for the virtual garment.” At the same time, ISO 18831, “Clothing – Digital fittings – Attributes of virtual garments,” is also here. Online clothing sales require consistent technology and that means standards!
I’ve often remarked that spotting a vocabulary document for an area that has not previously been standardized is a harbinger of things to come. This is because all successful standards activity depends on all parties understanding the language used in these publications. However, in this case, not only will IT professionals in the retail and fashion industries be interested in this standard, but also consumers, fashion designers, manufacturers, and retailers.
And much to my amazement, virtual garments require virtual patterns and virtual sewing! With lovely color renditions, you’ll see how these virtual activities produce the virtual clothing specifically tailored to your preferences. Through a series of digital fittings, the process is clearly mapped. You’ll see how to use technology to present the drape of a garment, the texture, and affect of the pattern of the cloth used in the virtual garment. And after all this is clearly illustrated, the underlying technology requirements for doing all this are defined in detail. Remarkable!
The new ISO 18831 on the other hand presents the attributes of virtual garments for the upper and lower body, and for hats and gloves. After the broad lesson on the topic presented by the vocabulary standard, this document provides detailed information on the specific patterns for the noted garment types. This includes detailed descriptions of such features as collars and cuffs, pockets, and so on.
Why is this sector of the fashion industry ready for standardization? Being able to provide a potential consumer with a realistic visualization of what a garment would look like when worn will make the purchase decision easier. Also, it will improve the efficiency of clothing manufacturers since clothing can be “custom” made using mass-production techniques. Problems in forecasting sales plagues the industry. With manufacturing tied more closely to true customer demand, some overproduction can be eliminated. So the goal is to reduce the return rate for clothing bought online, which is currently an issue both for the consumer and for the manufacturer.
Now you’ll want to get copies of these two new ISO standards, and where better than from Document Center Inc.! We’re an authorized distributor of a wide range of standards, all of which can be purchased at our webstore, www.document-center.com. Here’s a direct link to the order page for ISO 18163 and to the order page for ISO 18831. You’ll find them available in both paper format and for pdf download on our site.
You may have additional questions or want more information on our compliance support services. Just contact our staff by phone (650-591-7600) or by email (info@document-center.com). We’ve been selling standards since 1982 so we have the kind of experience you need when working with these documents. Our suite of compliance tools may be the right solution for your compliance needs. So make us your Standards Experts!