Will custom jeans be the future of fast fashion? Weekday, a Swedish denim and fashion brand owned by H&M Group, says it can.
The youth brand recently announced that it has begun piloting the production of made-to-measure jeans through The Laboratory, H&M Group’s innovation hub.
As part of the pilot, Weekday and The Laboratory invited 100 customers to try the technology to gain important insights before large-scale implementation. Customers agree to undergo a body scan and are given a range of customization options to create the perfect pair of jeans.
To achieve this goal, H&M Group has partnered with Unspun, which has created an algorithm that converts body scans into paper patterns and measurement lists for use in production. Over the past 18 months, the lab has been working with Unspun to develop an algorithm for Weekday’s denim products so that it becomes more accurate over time.
Once scanned, the jeans will be produced as unique products in H&M’s partner factories. Scanning, customization and delivery to the buyer will take only 10 days. Customers then return to try on the custom-made jeans and provide feedback on fit, comfort, quality and price.
Representatives of the brand said that the pilot project aims to achieve 65% customer satisfaction. However, Weekday reported that the trials exceeded expectations, with 80% of customers being “very satisfied” with their jeans.
“The customer is always at the center of everything we do, so the goal of this pilot is to understand their needs for custom denim, how they feel about new experiences, and to test the readiness of the technology,” Lab Sustainable and Circular Business. said developer Lauren Koppen. “This pilot allowed us to gain valuable information that we would not have been able to obtain through internal testing alone.”
The concept was developed to address two of customers’ biggest concerns: sizing and fit. For Weekday, the solution provides better inventory control and reduced waste. Customized products are a sustainable business model that H&M Group is reportedly reviewing, saying: “In the long term, we see huge benefits for our business by reducing returns and excess products and producing only what customers want.”
“I’m an optimist, but I’m skeptical about how all the pieces of this model will come together when we go online,” Koppen added. “So I am pleased to see that the results exceed our expectations. Based on the positive results, we will expand the pilot project to in-store service. Based on customer feedback, we may introduce additional styles and additional features.”
Post time: Oct-30-2024