3D Virtual fashion is the new future of the fashion area. Amal Jomaa, is a Bulgarian 3D fashion technology expert, a lifelong learner, innovation enthusiast, endlessly curious creative problem finder/solver, excited about all the opportunities for digital fashion. She stands for sustainable fashion through digitalization. For the past few years, she has been working to build expertise in 3D virtual fashion creation as well as applying those technologies to make the supply chain more efficient. Her experience has been focused on customization and research on the potential for entirely automated garment production.
Amal Jomaa is the HEAD OF FASHION of ‘So Real Digital Twins AG’, which is a software company provides a digital solution for fashion technology. Ms Amal Jomaa recently talked with Denim Focus Coordinator Pranta Biswas and shared her personal view regarding sustainable fashion development through digitalization. For our readers, the constructive discussion is demonstrated below.
Pranta Biswas: What is your observation about the fashion business in terms of sustainability?
Amal Jomaa: I think we are finally waking up to the devastating consequences of unchecked and unreasonable overproduction practices of fashion. What gave some businesses (and individuals) a competitive advantage is now costing all of us the planet. And the worst part is, that we cannot put the genie back in the bottle. Consumer expectations have now shifted and everyone is used to cheap, fast fashion that you wear once and throw away. So it is unreasonable to think people will all of a sudden go back to buying less and more expensive fashion. All of that might sound quite gloomy, and it is, but the great news is, there is a solution. Moving fashion towards digitalization is going to solve almost every touchpoint of those issues: from on-demand manufacturing to better design, thanks to better data, to never exist in real life digital twins of garments in every color and variation imaginable, where consumers can have the novelty of newness without the garment being actually produced and discarded.
Pranta Biswas: What was your experience during Covid-19 pandemic in 2020?
Amal Jomaa: The silver lining in this horrible situation is that it gave the whole world a pause and time to contemplate and think. Fashion never stops, so it never has the time to think about how to do things better. This is the reason why digitalization has transformed so many other industries, but fashion is lagging behind. Because in fashion you are always busy working on the next season. There is absolutely no time to breathe in and think about anything, but the already established practices.
Pranta Biswas: Sustainability is a buzzword now-a-days; do you think that Brands are actually focusing on sustainability?
Amal Jomaa: All the Greenwashing is devastating to witness, because the consumer gets really confused about what to believe in anymore. I think the solution to sustainability is two-fold: better education (research about materials and processes) and easier access (a verified database with sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing companies). I have seen some leather alternatives that have no mention of the material composition on their website, and it is only when you email them an inquiry, that you discover they are still 70% polyethylene. So we need to do our part and spend a little bit of time and effort asking those questions and not letting companies get away with false claims. And in the future, once every company has 3D digital twins of their designs and materials, everything will be tracked and recorded, so one will be able to make up facts. All of the information will be digitally embedded.
Pranta Biswas: How can we more develop in fashion sustainability and digitalization?
Amal Jomaa: It only takes one simple step: digitize your asset library. The future will take care of the rest.
Pranta Biswas: Any special message you want to convey to our “Denim Focus” readers and Bangladesh RMG industry?
Amal Jomaa: Embrace digitalization, it is not coming to take away your jobs, but to elevate your capabilities. You will be able to apply the valuable skills you have acquired through the years in a completely new way. Instead of spend your time inputting data in an excel sheet tech pack, for example. your new role might be problem finding and solving to make the process more efficient and optimized. And no one knows the pain points that need fixing then someone who has been working and getting hands on experience. In this scenario you will get to collaborate with someone who has the tech abilities to solve the issues you find. And once you are freed from time consuming tasks, you will be able to focus your time and l skills in a new way, solving problems none of us know exist yet. But it all begins with just one step, embracing technology instead of fearing or rejecting it. And very best wishes for Denim Focus. I appreciate their effort to breach the knowledge everywhere.