Coming Soon: Body Labs to Host Webinar on Using 3D Body Imaging to Innovate in the Apparel or Footwear Industry

There is an inescapable fact about the future: if humans want to survive it, then we’re going to have to make some changes to how we live our lives. The population of the planet is growing at unprecedented rates that have been climbing since the industrial revolution. Basically, the modern world is safer for humans, and has allowed us to live much longer. As the growing global economy continues to pull people out of poverty, the average lifespan is increasing, and infant mortality is dropping. And with those growing numbers of people, more power will need to be generated, more food and clean water will need to be sourced and lest we become buried in it, less trash and waste will need to be manufactured. One industry that is waging a never-ending battle against that waste is the apparel and footwear industry, and sadly it is one that they are usually losing.

The global fashion and apparel market pulls in a massive $1.2 trillion each year, with the United States accounting for $250 billion of that all on our own. According to an Apparel and Footwear survey that was conducted by 3D imaging company Body Labs, $62.4 billion of all of the apparel and footwear purchased all over the world was returned because the items were the incorrect size, or the customer didn’t like the way it fit. And those numbers have only increased as online shopping has become more popular and convenient. The New York-based company commissioned the survey and report to try to address and end problems with consumers ordering products that do not fit and needing to return them.

These returned products, many of them not resellable, as well as overstocked items and popular items that go out of stock while there is still a demand for it, are a significant source of financial losses for many retailers. Retail and hospitality industry research and advisory company IHL Group calls these costs the “Ghost Economy,” a blanket term for the costs associated with the inefficiencies of the industry and the unforeseeable costs of doing business. And beyond the actual cost to the retailers is the larger cost that excess apparel and footwear products place on our environment.

Body Labs is on the cutting edge of an industry that may soon be virtually eliminating this Ghost Economy and the financial and ecological burdens it causes. They are commercializing some of the world’s most advanced software and technology for analyzing the human body shape, its pose and its motion by creating a virtual 3D avatar that consumers will be able to use to try on clothing, footwear and other wearables. This 3D digital human body platform can be used to verify that an article of clothing fits correctly, is flattering and will even allow bespoke clothing and products to be manufactured for a specific user.

Body Labs and 3DPrint.com are presenting an educational seminar that will change the way that you think about the economics of apparel and footwear design by using 3D imaging of the human body. The online educational session will be presented by Body Labs chief evangelist Jon Cilley, who will be discussing the company’s recent research into uses and applications for their 3D body imaging technology. He will explain to retailers how their customers can use their bodies as a 3D digital platform to design, manufacture, buy and sell their goods and services.

Cilley will explain how Body Labs is capable of extracting highly detailed measurements of their customers body and shape, and how they use that data to find perfect fitting clothing and footwear. They can also create custom sizing recommendations, matching each individual retailer sizes to each individual’s personal measurements. They can also generate a 3D avatar and offer virtual try on options for a wide variety of clothing and wearables, so customers can verify that what they want to buy is flattering and fits all areas of their body correctly.

The webinar will take place Thursday, June 23rd 2016 from 2:30 PM to 3:15 PM (EDT). You can learn more about the Body Labs’ 2016 Apparel & Footwear Retail Survey Report here. And you can see more details about the Body Labs and 3DPrint.com online webinar here. The webinar is totally free, you simply need to pre-register in order to attend. Discuss further in the 3D Printing in Apparel forum over at 3DPB.com.