Customised clothing seems to be the trend of tomorrow.

More people are going the traditional way these days and opting for custom-made tailored pieces. While there may be many reasons behind this shift, recent advances in technology can be partly attributed to the trend, especially when automated tailoring machines that can create almost any design on demand have entered the market. A lot of companies are paying attention and trying to get a piece of the made-to-order retail clothing business. Let us take a closer look at this phenomenon and what it could mean for the future of the clothing industry.

 

Amazon may benefit

One company that may benefit from this trend is Amazon, which already has the platform, installations and resources to take a huge chunk of this industry. As a matter of fact, it has already filed a patent for an automated manufacturing system that would allow them to create clothing made exactly to their customer's specifications.

With this technology, it can create a perfectly tailored shirt, dress or jacket in as little as five days. This can truly revolutionise the way we buy clothes and the e-commerce behemoth might be the best positioned to spur this revolution. This technology alone could allow it to increase its current share of the retail fashion market-around 6 per cent now-to 16 per cent by 2021.

Patent may change clothing industry infrastructure

But this is more than a retail move alone; this is also a signal to the whole clothing industry that things are about to change and that they will have to rectify issues with their supply chain and the way they manufacture. And when we look closer, it doesn't take long to see glaring flaws in the way clothes are retailed and made. Having to make clothes in all sorts of size in advance while replacing collections an average of twice every year creates waste and inventory management issues that can be avoided with clothing on demand.

Customisation not strictly limited to retail fashion

But this revolution is not only hitting the retail fashion sector. Many sports equipment companies have been offering customised manufacturing for years.

One product where it has been especially successful is skating boots. In this sport, personalisation is very important, and being able to produce a boot that adjusts to the specifics of a skater's feet is essential for maximum performance, maneuverability and comfort. Custom roller skates can be bought that not only fit one's feet but can also be tailored in various other ways like colours or adding a personal logo.

Conclusion

The customised clothing industry is set to be massive and could forever change our idea of retail fashion. Observers are taking notes, and it is really a question of who is going to be the first to make a statement and make customised clothing the new standard in the industry.