On-demand production a growing trend in fashion

A new breed of fashion startups is tackling the problem of over-production through on-demand models. And now some mass-market players are also beginning to follow suit.

Among the startups leading the way is 22 Factor – an on-demand 3D knitting service targeting designers and brands that want to produce garments in smaller quantities and minimise excessive production.

Unspun, meanwhile, uses 3D scanning, fit algorithms and weaving technology to make customised jeans, eliminating back-end inventory, reducing wasteful processes and increasing the lifespan of the garment.

As for larger players following suit, H&M recently worked with Unspun to pilot custom-made jeans for its youth culture brand Weekday, as well as on-demand T-shirts and sweatshirts. Plans to scale up are already underway.

Laura Coppen, Circular and Sustainable Business Developer at H&M’s The Laboratory innovation arm, tells GlobalData the on-demand model offers great potential to be sustainable yet profitable. She says: "Circularity is inherently about using resources sustainably and one central aspect is to avoid overproduction, and on-demand plays a very important role in that.”

There are still challenges that need to be addressed, however. A lot of production is still far away from the markets companies are servicing, and there is the question of cost. Is it profitable for a mass market player to move to an on-demand model, especially when it can mean complete disruption of the supply chain?

“That said, the benefits can be substantial. Manufacturing an item once a customer has purchased it is certainly a more sustainable method of producing clothing, the capital outlay for the brand should be much lower,” says Michelle Russell, Apparel Correspondent at GlobalData.

“However, while it seems unlikely we will see the clothing industry dominated by on-demand in the near future, having a sizeable number of models powering the industry seems achievable.”