Lectra partners WGSN for trends, design & development

04 Apr '12

4 min read

Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials-textiles, leather, industrial fabrics and composite materials-and WGSN-the world's leading trend forecaster-are pleased to announce a new global partnership.

Several events to unveil the partnership are planned over the next few months, starting with London in May.

For many apparel and fashion companies, trend research and design development often don't work together as closely as they should, nor are they fully integrated with the rest of the product development process. A process gap occurs as a result, meaning teams can't leverage coherent creative, technical, and production knowledge across the development cycle.

Lectra and WGSN stress that the best way to bridge this gap is with more open and efficient information sharing made possible by a strong foundation of technology and expertise. Together, the two companies will offer best practices to build a more streamlined and collaborative workflow between trends, design, and development.

“As market-leading brands in our respective sectors, WGSN and Lectra are natural partners. As the many customers we share know, WGSN and Lectra have a common mission-to improve efficiency through innovative technology systems and inspiration-right across the product development cycle. But this partnership isn't just about shared values. Together it will enable WGSN and Lectra to deliver uniquely powerful and exclusive new content and technology tools that will add value for current and future customers of both businesses worldwide,” says Julie Harris, WGSN Global Managing Director.

Engaging the production knowledge found within most teams to tighten concept and design development means leaner design, fewer production issues, and an overall faster time to market.

WGSN and Lectra customers can look forward to an Autumn Winter 2013/2014 Womenswear Starter Pack to be released in May. WGSN will edit macro trends from their AW 13/14 selection to use as the basis for key looks.

Lectra will develop WGSN's color and textile inspirations into a complete design package, including mood and presentation boards; printed, woven, and knitted fabrics; colorway suggestions; seasonal palettes and production-ready spec information. To really give designers an advantage, Lectra will also develop flat pattern blocks and 3D prototypes for key looks.

“Design and development have to be efficient from step one,” says Anastasia Charbin, Marketing Director, Fashion at Lectra. “A production-ready trend and design pack, complete with patterns and virtual 3D prototypes, gives designers and product developers an enormous advantage. The ability to visualize style, patterns, color, and texture in 3D cuts their workload enormously. Having all the technical information behind the creative work means fewer errors when it comes to production,” she adds.

Starter packswill be a combination of anything from jackets to trousers to dresses.

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