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> One thing I’d have loved to see - an emphasis on customization and tailoring. [...] for pants [...] That was a startup two decades back. Built on automated
by mncharity 7y ago
> One thing I’d have loved to see - an emphasis on customization and tailoring. [...] for pants [...]
That was a startup two decades back. Built on automated pattern cutting. MVP was customized khakis. You'd enter detailed measurements on a website; machine-cut parts were assembled "manually" the next-ish day; then FedEx. Had a little tag with a number, so you could order "just like N, but let out a 1/2 inch". It was nifty.
It was acquired by Levis, which mismanaged it into nonexistence. Last-ish factory in the US providing that assembly closed, plus the patent, and that was the end of that. IIRC.
Perhaps in China? Years back, if you needed a new wardrobe of suits, it was worth a trip to HK just for that.
- mywittyname 7y agoDo you really benefit much from having robots do the cutting? I suspect most of the skill and costs are in the assembly. Modern Tailor offers MtM clothing starting at like $50.
- mncharity 7y agoIt's mass-production sewing, just with non-uniform stock. The customized pattern cutting provides the customized fit. Instead of boxes full of identically-cut pieces to be assembled, there's a packet with someone's customized pieces. Which is why the US getting out of mass-production apparel manufacturing was a problem. Perhaps this was a niche in which US apparel manufacturing might have remained viable, with customization and shipping proximity supporting the extra US costs. It seems regrettable that the possibility wasn't better explored.