Body Language. “Today, it’s not a question of whether they fit or not, it’s whether they fit to your preference,” said Janice Wang, chief executive officer at Alvanon, who speaks of the “competitive edge” brands communicate in their fit — or what Wang calls their “brand DNA.” Wang presides over Alvanon, a privately owned apparel fit technology business numbering three generations of apparel manufacturing experience. She works alongside her brothers to manage the pain points of fit for an industry hungry for data and differentiation, to parallel the increasingly differentiated body types worldwide. Be it the U.S., Japan, China, Mexico or anywhere on the map, fit presents unique challenges, and brands must respond as such.
By “mapping” fit using Alvanon’s “bodies as a framework,” Alvanon is instilling standards and an “enhanced method of doing,” with a hub that features more than 6,000 virtual bodies based on 1.5 million body scans conducted worldwide by Alvanon. Brands such as Stitch Fix, Chanel and Under Armour have been working with its 3-D avatars to help maintain their size standards. Increasing efficiency and reducing production waste, an extended benefit may be brand loyalty. The dream scenario being if a customer really enjoys a product fit,
How Body Mapping Makes Under Armour, J. Crew a Better Fit With Shoppers
Image Courtesy of Matt Rybczynski
