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They envisioned robotic tailors and even today we are far away from that it's last one this slide https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/a-19th-century-visi

by type0 3y ago

They envisioned robotic tailors and even today we are far away from that it's last one this slide https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/a-19th-century-vision-of-the-year-2000/ https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/a-19th-century-vis...

naasking 3y ago
Robotic tailors might not be close, but we can try on outfits digitally for form and fit, so part of it kind of exists.
mncharity 3y ago
> They envisioned robotic tailors and even today we are far away from that There was a startup 3 decades ago, where you ordered custom khakis on the web. As a first step towards broader custom clothes. Entering assorted measurements, or modifying the dimensions of a previous purchase, a custom pattern was quickly laser cut, manually stitched in one of the last garment factories in the US, and overnighted. Patented, sold, bungled, abandoned. Stitching automation continues to improve, but full automation isn't quite there yet? Body scanning seems close. So near-term next-day almost-automated tailoring from Mexico?
- type0 3y ago
  Margins are too low, unless we experience some sort of 3d printer like revolution for clothing it's likely to never catch up
  - withinboredom 3y ago
    At least until wherever the current sweatshops are decide to unionize.
- hef19898 3y ago
  That is basically the B2C version of Zara. The start-up doesn't exist anymore, the Zara founder is one of the richest people on earth now. This particular problem is bot about production of clothing, it is about everything else: design, sourcing of rae materials, distribution. The standard start-up approach of applying "tech" to that doesn't work.
BriggyDwiggs42 3y ago
Not that we could do it but i feel like the real issue is that manufacturing a couple of univeral sizes of less form-fitting clothes is a significantly easier solution to this problem. I think they tended to expect tech to change instead of culture, while in reality our culture has adapted to what is available technologically.
- timeon 3y ago
  Tailor-made fits are desirable but, with elastic materials, not longer required.
nottorp 3y ago
It can probably be done already, but no one bothers with bespoke clothing any more.

by type0 3y ago

naasking 3y ago

Robotic tailors might not be close, but we can try on outfits digitally for form and fit, so part of it kind of exists.

mncharity 3y ago

> They envisioned robotic tailors and even today we are far away from that There was a startup 3 decades ago, where you ordered custom khakis on the web. As a first step towards broader custom clothes. Entering assorted measurements, or modifying the dimensions of a previous purchase, a custom pattern was quickly laser cut, manually stitched in one of the last garment factories in the US, and overnighted. Patented, sold, bungled, abandoned. Stitching automation continues to improve, but full automation isn't quite there yet? Body scanning seems close. So near-term next-day almost-automated tailoring from Mexico?

type0 3y ago
Margins are too low, unless we experience some sort of 3d printer like revolution for clothing it's likely to never catch up
- withinboredom 3y ago
  At least until wherever the current sweatshops are decide to unionize.
hef19898 3y ago
That is basically the B2C version of Zara. The start-up doesn't exist anymore, the Zara founder is one of the richest people on earth now. This particular problem is bot about production of clothing, it is about everything else: design, sourcing of rae materials, distribution. The standard start-up approach of applying "tech" to that doesn't work.

BriggyDwiggs42 3y ago

Not that we could do it but i feel like the real issue is that manufacturing a couple of univeral sizes of less form-fitting clothes is a significantly easier solution to this problem. I think they tended to expect tech to change instead of culture, while in reality our culture has adapted to what is available technologically.

timeon 3y ago
Tailor-made fits are desirable but, with elastic materials, not longer required.

nottorp 3y ago

It can probably be done already, but no one bothers with bespoke clothing any more.