Citizens of Milan can say that they live in a city at the forefront of digital transformation. The citizens themselves are aware that they are not victims of them, but they are creators. Milan is a city that has always relied on the work of those who inhabited: was the city of the "mondine" (workers who were picking rice), it was the "futurist" city, it was the working-class city of Lambretta, it has become the city of the Stock Exchange, and now it has become one of the cities that offers innovative solutions for those who live there being the first Smart City of Italy. Well, Milan is the leader of digital experimentation that leads citizens to live in one of the most efficient European metropolises. Digital transformation is a transversal attitude that affecting many sectors of the industry, also in fashion world.
Functional Fashion
The history of Italian fashion starts in Turin, when in the 1930s the Italian National Fashion Authority was born. During the recovery of business in the years after the second war, there were also important fashion show in Rome, Milan and Venice. Each city dealt with a fashion sector, Milan together with Turin, took care of the first packaging clothes, in French language “prêt-à-porter”, jackets and shirts sewn into standard sizes and ready to wear. Well, fashion in Milan has always been contemporary with the life of citizens, as it is now.
Needle, thread and knot going to 4.0
The history of tailoring in Milan is so ingrained that it has made a monument: needle, thread and knot is a two-part sculpture created by Claes Oldenburg and his wife Coosje van Bruggen, the work is placed in the square Cadorna and they made in 2000. The gates of the city of Milan have made it easy for the business and digital world to come in, influencing fashion. We are not only talking about the realization of a garment but also the ability that today has the marketing to reach the most suitable consumers the processes to improve the proposition and customer experience. IT solutions to support fashion drive a significant part of the global economy and in particular the Italian economy. So many famous brands have started a series of initiatives with which to speed up production, adopting sustainability ideas in design, finalization and supply chain paths. The goal is to please users who no longer just want to buy but live experiences, belong to a single group, interact with the brand and influence it with your choices.
Which technologies are having the greatest impact in the world of fashion?
One of the biggest drivers of digital transformation is the use of the IoT (Internet of Things). For example, it can be used as supports for sports wear, including sensors that connect the body to the special app on your smartphone. These are the advantages of having a better product with custom modes.
To benefit the business, brands have started using AI (Artificial Intelligence). Most customers don't realize they're providing valuable data that's used later to predict trends and narrow the gap between what is produced and the sold. Instead of collecting information manually, the trader relies on artificial intelligence that collects, organizes and analyses what the customer wants.
Virtual Reality, instead, is what makes the digital transformation in which we are immersed tangible. There are already dressing rooms that allow customers to try on the outfits on a custom avatar with their own appearance. These projects change the shopping experience to the better and help retain consumers and, at the same time, these activities provide added value to the brand.
Well, we are increasingly heading towards a world of fashion that makes "tailored customer" everything that concerns him and not just the dress.
Milano Fashion Institute 4.0
Thanks to the participation of professors and professionals of the field, the "Fashion 4.0" course faces up to the themes dedicated to new digital technologies applied to the fashion industry processes aimed at supporting all phases of the creative and production process, from design to 3D printing.
The new designers must adapt to the change taking place: today designing means not only having creativity, but also knowing how to use the right tools.
Innovation for the fashion system, one of the key sectors of the Italian economy, doesn’t depend only on product innovations, but the role that new digital technologies have applied to design and production processes is increasingly crucial. Industry 4.0, or smart manufacturing, is called the fourth industrial revolution because it can substantially redefine the way in which designers and companies work and respond to the changing needs of the market and consumers.
Industry 4.0, the trend that will most influence the future of the fashion economy, is configured as the tool to revise the traditional production processes, renewing them and helping to increase the competitiveness of Italian fashion companies.
