3D product development reduces the total number of unnecessary garments being produced within apparel industry significantly – saving time, money, as well as reducing the overall environmental footprint. However, many brands still find challenges when it comes to initially implementing 3D into their pipeline. Creation Fields, which was founded by Eva Mattsson Culafic and Kristina Fürst Thiis, provides key competences to meet brands’ needs in order to support their 3D implementation journey. This includes product development, pattern construction, design, tailoring, and user-experience.
The co-founders of Creation Fields have an immense amount of experience within the apparel industry and have built a broad and unique network within the world of CLO and 3D. The main aim of the Swedish-based company is to decrease the negative impact on the environment connected to fashion production, while also helping brands increase their margins, decrease their time-to-market and to work closer to the consumer – all through the use of CLO. With the current transformation of the industry, Creation Fields seeks to be the number one supplier of technical competences connected to these changes.
We had the exciting opportunity to speak with Eva from Creation Fields in order to find out more about the company and how their clients have been benefiting from implementing CLO into their pipeline.
What was your main mission with Creation Fields?
When I started to calculate the possible resources brands could save by switching part of their product development, sales, samples, and marketing to 3D it was clear to me that this was the way to go. Then and there I decided to start Creation Fields. I am a business driven person and have been in the fashion industry for more than 2 decades working within product development, but also as an entrepreneur and a manager. My analysis and calculations revealed that my clients save 75-80% of their sample cost when transitioning to 3D. This is just within the development phase. In addition to this, my clients are able to shorten their time-to-market and most importantly, reduce their environmental footprint. I decided that I want be a part of the 3D revolution and a partner to all fashion brands when implementing 3D.
When you first have contact with the CLO software and 3D?
I first heard about CLO about 4 years ago. Already then I understood it would revolutionize the fashion industry, but I wasn’t fully ready to join the movement myself.
Did it take you long to be convinced about CLO and its possibilities?
When I first heard about CLO, I was a bit skeptical. But, when I started to play around with it myself, and with the help of my great colleague Vera, who is educating students in CLO, I was convinced that this was going to be a part of the future. I definitely did not need a lot of convincing.
Who are your main types of clients?
We don’t have a specific type of client. As we are in the beginning of our journey most of our clients today are preparing their 3D implementation. I can’t go into details, but my experience as a consultant within fashion has given me a long list of clients that are connected to my other company – Wealit AB. This is beneficial and gives Creation Fields a solid base in the Nordics. We have the tools and hardware that small businesses don’t prioritize, and the efficiency that bigger companies are looking for to compliment to their own in-house 3D implementation.
What types of solutions do you offer for your clients?
For now, the most common request we have is to make fully rendered samples for internal presentations or for sales. However, we do not limit ourselves to this. We have a creative, talented team with different backgrounds and a can-do attitude. This helps us to meet our clients’ various needs. For example, we can be part of the fitting process and make quick mock-ups and prototypes, as well as making photorealistic samples or styling on avatars. We are convinced that the set up we have will be a solid base to help implement 3D to the Nordic market.
What are the main problems you help brands tackle through these solutions?
Companies who produce sales collections can decrease their sample cost by approximately 80% simply by creating a collection in 3D instead of using physical samples. In the long run, we would like to emphasize that the most important effect of our clients using 3D instead of physical product development is the reduction of the environmental footprint. This can not only be attributed to the decreased number of samples being produced, but also to the possibility of producing more accurately according to the consumer needs. This accuracy in production can be reached by using the 3D samples in communication with the consumer before placing the final order to the factory. Creation Fields want to eliminate all materials and garments that are being produced for no good reason.
How does CLO play an integral role in helping brands become more sustainable, while saving money and time?
By using 3D samples, brands can reduce the amount of material bought that never end up in a physical product. Out of the physical samples that are created in the industry today, approximately 37% of styles never meet the consumer in a store or a webshop. I want to decrease that figure. There are a lot of garments being produced and shipped all over the world that consumers never purchase. These garments are usually put on sale. However, if they are still not being purchased, these garments will end up in a landfill. I don’t want garments produced that don’t create value for a consumer – they are bad for the industry and most importantly, bad for the planet.
Can you give some examples of how the usage of CLO and 3D has benefited the brands you have worked with?
I calculated the cost of a collection from one of our clients. It was a fall/winter collection for a mid size Swedish fashion brand, and they spent approximately 500.000 EUR. After switching to a collection in 3D, they can now present the same collection for a price of 98.000 EUR, meaning that they save more than 80% of their initial sample cost.
How would you depict the return on investment, when it comes to initially implementing 3D into a brand’s pipeline?
If you’re a fashion brand producing physical sales samples you would see a return of investment within the first collection delivered in 3D. Talking to various sales teams, having transferred their sales from physical samples to 3D, they’re feedback is extremely positive. 3D samples sell just as good as physical samples. When referring to brands who are using 3D for internal presentation and Marketing and Communication purposes with consumers, via social media for example, it’s a bit harder to calculate the exact return on investment. But, from what I can see, the decisions made internally are easier and much more grounded. This saves time and frustration throughout the entire organization.
What advice would you give to brands who have been reluctant to make the digital shift?
It’s simple advice – just try it out! You can get in touch with us, send us a few tech packs, and we will show you how photorealistic we can make your products in CLO.
Why should companies choose Creation Fields?
Because we know the product and the process behind it. With approximately 20 years of experience within product development and buying, I’m confident that we can guide our clients through this digital shift. My experience combined with our technical know-how allows us to tailor our sollutions to best suit our clients’ needs. We have cracked the code by gathering the best in the business to support this inevitable movement to product development in 3D.
What’s important to you when building this company, in this early stage?
This was the easiest question of them all – it’s the team setup. My co-founders and I, as well as the key people that have been in this from the start, all have the same goal. We want this journey to be fun, just as fun as working with 3D and CLO.
Through fostering and helping brands implement CLO, Creation Fields has been able to see significant results in terms of the number of physical samples being produced, the reduction of the environmental footprint, time-to-market, and the reduction of sample costs within the development stage. The apparel industry is in the midst of a revolutionary change for the better. Creation Fields helps to make this possible and feasible for brands who may find the initial step into 3D a challenge.
To find out more about Creation Fields check out their website.
All visuals created by Creation Fields.