Headquartered in Singapore and spread across China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, Bodynits is a leading global manufacturer of activewear for some of the world’s most influential brands. Since its establishment in 1984, Bodynits has remained dedicated to consistent customer satisfaction, delivery speed, and product quality. The company sees innovation as the key to a smooth manufacturing process, and successful end product. In the early 2000s, Bodynits collaborated with Browzwear to create an efficient and cost-effective product development process that would enable the company to scale up, achieve quicker turnarounds, and remove the dependency on specialized talent.
One of the initial attractions to Browzwear for Bodynits was the capabilities that it brought to the table for its patternmakers. Browzwear’s 3D design software, VStitcher, provides pattern makers and designers with endless libraries of tools and information to create, build and experiment with. The pattern makers at Bodynits were soon able to utilize true-to-life 3D to analyze each component that made up the garment physically on its digital twin, including the fit, draping, grading, and stress of the materials through features such as pressure and heat maps. Thus, with 3D, the pattern makers had the ability to be specific throughout the product creation process and ensure that each component is accurately measured and put together with precision.
“Having the ability to create models with specific size specifications enables designers to seamlessly communicate and visualize their ideas and thus make informed decisions on trims, colorways, and the proportions of each garment,” says Lynn Tan, Director, Bodynits. With that, patterns could be drafted entirely digitally and repurposed for future collections, rather than starting from scratch and reinventing the patterns each time. “Not only does working in 3D allow designers to be more creative and explore endless options but the entire design process is also accelerated,” adds Lynn.
After the initial successes of 3D implementation, It wasn’t long before Bodynits expanded its usage across the entire value chain as both an interactive and creative tool. One way 3D proved as a revolutionary tool is its ability to promote fast and fluid collaboration, regardless of location. Browzwear’s 3D garments have become a fundamental part of the selling process which is predominantly carried out digitally, particularly when it comes to sampling presentations.
With Browzwear’s solution, the design team at Bodynits can essentially create a storyboard of the design journey for upcoming seasons and enable buyers to visualize all of the styles in different colorways, as well as view the exact cuts, seams, trims, detail placements, and fit of each garment with without having to refer to a physical sample throughout. Whereas the sample approval process would typically involve numerous back and forths, the stakeholders involved can now effectively collaborate over accurate virtual garments, worn by ultra-realistic avatars of the correct size. “With Browzwear’s VStitcher, we can replace traditional physical garment presentations with digital showcasing by providing buyers with all of the necessary tools to visualize different styling options and color combinations for each collection, ultimately speeding up order decisions,” says Lynn.
Therefore, the approval process can be carried out faster, with customer comments and feedback being implemented almost immediately for a more efficient decision-making process. In fact, the team has found that as little as two physical samples are needed before the garment can be sent to production. “With such technology, fewer sampling rounds are needed throughout the approval process, cutting back on both physical samples and transportation costs,” she adds.
“Since implementing Browzwear along with other complementary solutions, we have experienced faster and more efficient communication between internal and external stakeholders as the majority of pre-sample decisions can be made digitally, saving at least 20% of the time typically spent on sample iterations,” says Lynn. “The traditional practice for designing approved samples can typically take months without the help of software,” she adds. With 3D, information can be communicated quickly, accurately, and designs can be presented to stakeholders with different angle viewings, virtually. As decisions can be made online and feedback can be implemented instantly, fewer approval rounds are needed meaning that designs can be shortlisted so transportation costs, as well as physical resources, can be cut down significantly. In addition, by switching to 3D when it comes to product development, patterns are created with closer accuracy, and therefore act as a true-to-life digital twin of the physical result. Thus, with fewer trial and error iterations, the process can be executed in a shorter time and can in fact be executed in as little as three days.
As Bodynits’ digital transformation journey with Browzwear continues to evolve, the company is at a stage where they no longer depend on specialized talent, as the processes can be conducted all in one place, with each component stored and documented within digital libraries for consistent use.