Report on Feasibility Study on Made to Measure Garments

MADE TO MEASURE GARMENTS- Project Report

MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Submitted By:Prachi Garg (12)Shinu Nair (48)

PGDM-IB 2010-12

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………… 3

2. OBJECTIVE OF STUDY…………………………………………………...

6

3. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

……………………………………………….7

4. METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………….12

5. DATA ANALYSIS………………………………………………………….14

6. MARKETING PLAN………………………………………………………17

KJ SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND RESEARCH/MM II/PGDM-IB Page 2

INTRODUCTION

Technological advances during the past decade have opened many new doors

for the Textile and Apparel industries, especially in the area of rapid prototyping and

related activities.

When evaluating consumers’ dissatisfactions with apparel that has been mass-

produced and is readily available in the marketplace, there are several recurring

themes. The first is an overwhelming criticism about how garments “fit”. While fit is a

subjective variable, at best, it is nevertheless a problem that almost every consumer

has had at some time. In the apparel industry, accurate measurements are very

important as the first step to determine correct sizing and to create garments

customized to a specific target market. Historically, tailors and fashion designers

used measuring tapes to obtain the physical measurements of the bodies they

created for. This method has been time consuming, invasive, and often inaccurate,

based on who took the measurements and how they took them. Until just recently,

only tailors and couture houses actually still used real body measurements to create

or alter the clothing they produced.

Unfortunately, the sizing systems that have developed through the years are

neither standardized nor related to the average human’s body measurements. While

we know that garment sizing can be impacted by production inaccuracies, we must

face the fact that many garments were sized or proportioned incorrectly for the

target consumer, from conception. This specific problem has encouraged the

development of 3-D body scanning technologies that will enable rapid and accurate

extraction of individual consumer’s measurements. This ability will enable

redevelopment of current sizing systems, as well as production of Made-To

Measure Garments.

In a Made-to-Measure garment, customer’s measurements are first taken by a

made-to-measure retailer (BRAND store). It is sent to the manufacturer and the

manufacturer makes that single garment. Then the garment is dispatched to the

retailer (BRAND store) who delivers it to the customer within 1-1½ weeks. It is similar

to Tailor-made garments; the difference being that it is provided by a BRAND e.g.

Raymond’s.


The primary benefits to the customer of made-to-measure clothing are that garments

will be well-fitted to the customer’s body and the customer may have the opportunity

to customize the fabric and design.

To order a made-to-measure garment, the customer’s measurements are first

taken by a made-to-measure retailer. Then a base pattern is selected that

most closely corresponds with the customer’s measurements. This base

pattern is altered to match the customer’s measurements. The garment is

constructed from this custom pattern.

The primary benefits to the customer of made-to-measure clothing are that

the garments will be well-fitted to the customer’s body and the customer may

have the opportunity to customize the fabric and detailing. The primary

disadvantage of made-to-measure is that the customer must wait up to

several weeks for the garment to be sewn and delivered.

Made-to-measure retailers often travel internationally meeting clients in cities,

providing samples of the latest materials and styles. One of the most active

made-to-measure retailers in the U.S. is Noble House, based out of Hong Kong

and has a group of salesmen who travel to a variety of major U.S. cities.

CUSTOMIZATION – CASE STUDIES FROM APPAREL INDUSTRY

1. Bodymetrics

Bodymetrics is a UK based organization that deals in made-to-measure jeans.

There is a 3-D scanner which takes about 200 measurements in 5 seconds. The

measurements are used to create a virtual replica of the body from which a

digital pattern for the jeans is created. Clothes are made in the Far East or

North America. Prices start around £250, or $482, per pair of jeans. They don’t

carry any stock, are never on sale, and receive cash upfront before

manufacturing. They have very high sales per square foot – about $2000.

2. DNA Style Lab

They sell customized T-shirts. In this model, the company commissions a

number of artists from around the world. They contribute design elements

which a customer can select. The more graphic elements a user selects, the


more expensive the final product gets. In this model, the artists will get their

full price, the user pay for the graphic elements they select (about $5); the

company itself makes its profit from selling the core product which is about

$10.

3. Ziami

Ziami is a German company, who make custom made shirts for about €29 and

custom-made suits for about €99. They use multi-level marketing approach in

their model, in which whosoever purchases a €50 starter package, becomes a

custom shirt seller. The distributors purchase a custom shirt for €22 and sell it

for €29. Manufacturing is done in China and Thailand. The major complaints

are unstable quality, bad customer service and poor fabrics.

4. Zafu.com

It asks women shoppers 11 questions about how they prefer jeans to sit on

their hips or waist to create a body profile. The results are used to match the

user with as many jeans as could suit them from a database of hundreds of

styles, from broadly marketed Gap to pricey Seven, then link them to a retailer

to purchase. Zafu also allows women to save their profile making the process

even easier next time they return. This helps them also to inform customers

when a new jean is added to their assortment that exactly fits their body style.

However, if a user does not want to leave any data, she does not have to do

register etc. Zafu.com is profitable because first, Zafu does not carry any

inventory, but directs customers directly to the web sites of affiliated retailers

and gets the usual commissions between 5-20% of each sale. Second, they will

provide in-house fit recommendation services to online and offline retailers,

helping the customers of just one brand to navigate the assortment in a store

or online shop better.


STATEMENT OF THE STUDY:

The objective of the study is to carry out a Feasibility Study on Made to Measure

Garments and devise a marketing plan for the same.

OBJECTIVE

The Feasibility study shall be extended to the three segments of the Supply Chain.

To determine whether the made to measure concept will be acceptable to the

end consumers of the Indian mass

To assess whether the facilities required for made to measure garments can be

provided by the Retail organizations

To determine whether the production of the made to measure garments will be

feasible for the Garment Manufacturers

NEED OF THE STUDY

The study aims at checking the viability of use and manufacturing of the Made to

measure garments for the Indian mass. This study will benefit the organizations who

are interested to launch such garments. It will help the manufacturers to make a

decision whether to proceed with the production of such garments. This study will

give them an insight as to whether the production of single-piece of such garments, is

feasible or not. It will also help the Retailers to decide whether or not to get into the

field of providing such garments to the customers. This study will also increase the

awareness among the end consumers and study the demand for such garments.


REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

Perched at the edge of the 21st century, the textile and apparel pipeline is at a

critical juncture. Even as the mass production paradigm continues to dominate, a new

paradigm, mass customization, is emerging and will continue to grow in a parallel

path. Critical information, manufacturing, delivery and service technologies now exist

to allow consumers to create their own products and manufacturers to individualize

products.

A significant number of consumers report being dissatisfied with the fit of apparel.

Mail order companies find that fit is one of the primary reasons for garment returns.

Fit problems can be perpetuated by consumers’ perceptions of their bodies. Often

consumers blame themselves for not fitting into garments.

Confronting and dealing with fit problems can be an arduous task for apparel

manufacturers and retailers. Those delving into the issue can find themselves

engrossed in such specific details as the accuracy of their armscye width

grading, as well as broader concerns, such as how a person's stance, or

posture, affects garment fit.

In today’s apparel market, consumers desire to personalize the style, fit and

color of the clothes they buy. According to Kurt Salmon Associates’ 1997

Annual Consumer Outlook Survey, 36% of consumers are willing to pay

up to 15% more for customized apparel and footwear, and will wait

up to three weeks to receive their customized product. Most of today’s

consumers require high-quality customized products at low prices with faster

delivery. With this sort of consumer interest in mind, the concept of “Mass

Customization” emerged in the late 1980’s.

As the market for mass customization begins to heat up, companies are

joining forces to develop innovative technologies aimed at improving product

development and production efficiencies.


Mass customization is quickly evolving from an art into a science, and in the

true spirit of research, companies within the apparel supply chain are now

combining their elements in hopes of getting the chemistry just right. From

consumer data capture to short cycle manufacturing to drop-ship deliveries,

the wheels of progress have been set in motion -- and industry authorities are

now predicting a surge in the market.

To date, most of the technological progress in mass customization has been

made in the pre-production arena. For example, there has been continued

development of body scanning technology over the past few years and the

parallel introduction of computer-aided design (CAD) functionality, which is

automating many aspects of product development and pre-production, from

design conceptualization through marker making.

Given the changing characteristics of today’s consumer interests and

industrial competition, mass production systems cannot satisfy both

manufacturers and consumers; however, a mass customization system may

achieve both manufacturer and consumer satisfaction, providing a low-cost

customized product.

MAJOR PROBLEMS AND BOTTLENECKS

The fitting problem is relevant both to mass-produced, as well as

custom-made clothing and relates predominantly to the lack of up-to-

date accurate body data (size and shape statistics). Moreover it is one of

the major obstacles for the offering of a reliable Internet apparel

shopping service. The fitting problem also relates to the long-established

need for the customer to try-on the garment , before buying (the mirror

problem).

The complexity of the selection process, related to aesthetic fit (e.g.

matching fabric colors with skin tone, color of the eyes, etc), individual

preferences on style modifications, accessories, etc.


The problem of streamlining systems and processes across the value-

added chain to ensure: individualized order tracking, effective unit

production, prompt deliveries and cost effectiveness.

The problem of handling personal data (esp. body measurements),

ensuring data security, integrity and privacy, and above all ensuring the

confidence and the acceptance of the consumers.

IMPLEMENTATION IN INDIA

BANGALORE: Formal wear is seen as something of a misfit in India’s tropical

conditions. But driven by large sales during the marriage season and increased

exposure to the latest fashion trends, apparel companies are beginning to custom-

design formal wear to suit individual requirements.

While Madura Garments has launched a ‘made-to-measure’ initiative from its ‘Louis

Phillipe’ stable, its cross-town rival Arvind Brands had earlier kicked off a ‘BeSpoke’

service offering for ‘Arrow’, its premium formal wear line.

‘‘Our made-to-measure initiative looks at three parameters: stature, chest and waist

size. For instance in chest size 40 we will have around 20 options,’’ Mr. Rishi Vasudev,

category head (suits) at Madura Garments, told ET. In total, this offering will have

over 150 options for customers.

The company claims that suits under this initiative involve 128 different operations,

integrating 56 different components. Madura officials said that based on various

requirements, an exact fit will be computer-generated within 21 days.

The made-to-measure suits begin at over Rs 20,000 and go all the way to Rs 50,000-

plus. While LP is an Rs 150-crore unit, suit sales account for around Rs 22 crore-Rs 23

crore.

Incidentally, Madura Garments earlier sought to expand the market by introducing

suits under its budget ‘Peter England’ label. Peter England suits are today available

for as little as Rs 2,000.

‘‘Most suit sales in India happen during the wedding season. In addition, suits in India

are not worn as often as in the West, where the climate allows daily wear. We are

targeting this top-end buyer who wants to buy a great suit for that special occasion,’’

said Mr. Hemchandra Javeri, president, Madura Garments.


Festive wear, incidentally, can get as glitzy as you want with gold thread and

diamonds inlaid into the suit or shirt fabric, according to industry executives.

However, Madura seems to have been pre-empted in its foray into the cut-to-suit

formal wear segment.

Arvind Brands had launched BeSpoke services for its Arrow premium wear line in May

2007, incorporating over 17 options.

Mr. Janak Dave, business head, Arvind Brands, said BeSpoke Services are available at

12 cities and 22 outlets, and customers can take home a custom-tailored shirt in five

working days.

‘‘We found that we were losing around 15-20% of our walk-ins because they could not

give them a particular size or collar option,’’ says Mr. Dave.

To try and counteract these losses, Arrow today offers half-a- dozen collar options

including traditional button-down as well as more fashionable ‘Chinese collar’

(Hamilton) options.

So, potential Arrow buyers today have an option of two types of full sleeves and the

half-sleeves, as well as a range of cuffs and other styling elements.

Arrow today does over 200 shirts a month under its BeSpoke services, for which it

promises door delivery.

The next frontier in the cut-to-fit range appears to be trousers, with both apparel

vendors looking to launch a similar offering in this market. A key target market in this

space are ‘big and tall consumers’ who are often at a loss when it comes to well-fitted

bottom wear.

REQUIREMENT OF MTM

– Driven by customer needs

– Uses latest technology

• Databases - customer and product

• Computer controlled design, production and packaging

• Supply chain management

– Helps build a strong relationship with customer

Benefits

– Cuts inventory

– Makes very small niche markets viable

– Retailers become regional distribution centers, cutting costs


Tools

• 3-D scanning tools

• Visualization tools

• Cloth draping algorithm

• Virtual reality tools

• Image databases

• Artificial intelligence interface

• Internet

• for integrated design, marketing and retailing

Steps

• Customer’s 3-D image scanned

• Customer interactively selects color, model, and print design

• Order transmitted through web to factory

• Garment stitched and delivered

• Bar-code used to store customer choices

• Customer’s 3-D image can be saved and used in future

• Customer can select fabric type, color, texture, pattern and print

• Customer can fit and visualize selected garment

• Customer can design garment or use available designs for the fit

• Customer’s feedback used in general garment design.

REFERENCES

1. Mass Customization And The Clothing Industry-By Claudio Vignali

Demetris Vrontis, Peri D. Vront, Professors of Leeds Metropolitan University

2. Journal of Industrial Technology, Volume 16: Mass-customization

Methodology for an Apparel Industry with a Future, By Ms. Seung-Eun

Lee & Dr. Joseph C. Chen

3. National Textile Center Annual Report: Discovering the Process of Mass

Customization: A Paradigm Shift for Competitive Manufacturing, By

Lenda Jo Anderson, Evelyn Brannon, Pamela Ulrich, Thomas Marshall, Nancy

Staples(Auburn)

4. Mass customization: By Priyank Goyal


5. Understanding Fitting Preferences of Female Consumers: Development

of an Expert System to Enhance Accurate Sizing Selection: By Lenda Jo Connell,

leader, Evelyn L. Brannon, Pamela V. Ulrich, Ann Beth Presley (Auburn),

Maureen Grasso (UNC-G), Judson H. Early, Stephen Gray (Nottingham Trent)

6. fibre2fashion-february 2008

7. www.wikipedia.com

8. www.citebm.business.uiuc.edu/SearsSlides.ppt

METHODOLOGY

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

Two types of Data Collection Techniques will be used for carrying out the research.

1. Primary Data Collection

Primary data collection was done using various methods such as interviews

and questionnaires.

a) Customer Survey

Questionnaires are to be filled in by a cross section of the target segment

with the purpose of knowing whether the made to measure concept will be

acceptable to the end consumers of the Indian mass.

Target population: The study was done on the population of ghatkopar and

surrounding areas. The sample and sample size was selected based on the

following criteria:

i. Gender-wise: The sample was divided firstly on the basis of Gender. This

was done to get a fair result from both.

Gender Sample size

Male 125

Female 125


http://www.wikipedia.com/

ii. Age-wise: The sample was then sub-divided on the basis of Age group.

This was done to avoid the study from being restricted to any particular

age group.

Less than 18 yrs

18 – 24 yrs

25 – 30 yrs

31 – 50 yrs

Above 50 years

2. Secondary Data Collection

Secondary data is the data that has already been collected by someone else

for a different purpose.

b) Desk research - The aim of this research is

To attain a greater understanding of the made to measure garments

and mass customization

To find about the organizations that have implemented made to

measure

The secondary sources of research include books published, Internet archives

and published research articles on made to measure garments and mass

customization.


DATA ANALYSIS:

The customers’ study was done for Male and Female alike. Data was collected with

the help of a Questionnaire. The data collected through questions has been analyzed

with the help of pie-charts and graphs. SPSS software version 14 was used for

analysis and crosstab generation.

Frequency Table

Reasons For Tailored

As can be seen from the pie chart and

the table most customers prefer tailored

garments for right fit, price and

purchase convenience. Fit is especially a

big issue for Indian customers as our

body sizes are diverse and standard

S,M,L,XL and XXL sizes do not normally

fit.


Frequency

Percent

Valid Percent

Cumulative Percent

Valid Style 2 1.0 1.0 1.0 Quality 1 .5 .5 1.5 Finish 6 3.0 3.0 4.5 Price 70 35.0 35.0 39.5 Purchase

Convenience

20 10.0 10.0 49.5

Right Fit 101 50.5 50.5 100.0 Total 200 100.0 100.0

Preferred Garment Type Readymade

As can be seen from the pie

chart and the table most

customers prefer denim

jeans for readymade

garments.


Frequency Percent

Valid Percent

Cumulative Percent

Valid Shirts 33 16.5 16.6 16.6 Trousers 20 10.0 10.1 26.6 Denim Jeans 66 33.0 33.2 59.8 T-shirts 34 17.0 17.1 76.9 Coat, Suit,

Blazer Jackets31 15.5 15.6 92.5

Ladies Tops 15 7.5 7.5 100.0 Total 199 99.5 100.0Missing System 1 .5Total 200 100.0

Age Group * Garment Willing To Try Cross tabulation

Garment Willing To Try Total

Shirt

sTrouser

s

Denim

Jeans

T-shirt

s

Coat, Suit, Blazer Jackets

Ladies Tops

Salwar Suits

AgeGroup

Less than 18 years

8 7 2 3 3 0 0 23

18-24 years

8 20 5 10 9 0 18 70

25-30 years

12 8 3 22 19 1 5 70

31-50 years

7 1 2 6 2 1 1 20

above 50 years

5 2 0 5 3 1 0 16

Total 40 38 12 46 36 3 24 199

The above cross tabulation report shows us that more of the younger age group (24-30) is willing to try out the concept.

Income Group * Garment Willing To Try Cross tabulation

Garment Willing To TryTotal

ShirtsTrouse

rs

Denim

JeansT-

shirts

Coat, Suit, Blazer Jackets

Ladies Tops

Salwar Suits

Income Group

Less than 10,000

7 22 5 15 18 0 15 82

more than 10,000

33 16 7 31 18 3 9 117

Total 40 38 12 46 36 3 24 199

Cross tabulation between income group and willingness to try the garment type

showed that in sub 10k group, more people were interested in trousers, t-shirts, coats

and salwar suits. While in the above 10k category, majority were interested in trying

out shirts and t-shirts.


MARKETING PLAN:

Summary:

Formal wear is seen as something of a misfit in India’s tropical conditions. But

driven by large sales during the marriage season and increased exposure to the

latest fashion trends, apparel companies are beginning to custom-design formal

wear to suit individual requirements. Madura Garments has launched a ‘made-to-

measure’ initiative from its ‘Louis Phillipe’ stable, its cross-town rival Arvind Brands

had earlier kicked off a ‘BeSpoke’ service offering for ‘Arrow’, its premium formal

wear line. The made-to-measure suits begin at over Rs 20,000 and go all the way to

Rs 50,000-plus. While LP is an Rs 150-crore unit, suit sales account for around Rs 22

crore-Rs 23 crore.

SWOT ANALYSIS:

Strengths:

Customization

Branded garment material.

Customer awareness and interest about the product.

Quality design and manufacturing

Door step delivery.

Weaknesses:

Long lead times from order to delivery.

High garment price.

Opportunities:

Increasing awareness about made to measure garments.

Growing customer need for variety and range in designs.


Threats:

Small stitch shops undercutting the market.

Foreign players like Bodymetrics vying for entry in the Indian market.

Objective:

To introduce made to measure garments in the Mumbai and achieve sales of 375-

400 units in the first quarter. Also to achieve a 5% growth thereafter in the

subsequent years.

Marketing Strategies:

Segmentation Targeting and Positioning:

The product may be segmented on the basis of age group, gender and socio

economic classification. The product would be brought to cater to the needs of

young men and women (who are style conscious) as well as the elderly(who insist

on quality). Branded garments for both men and women could be manufactured and

sold. The product should be aggressively targeted at consumers who still resort to

tailored garments. The retail store may be positioned as a “One Stop Shop for

Customized Garments”

Marketing Mix:

Place:

The product may be launched in metros, semi metros and class 1 towns. The

company can focus on creating a unique retail shop ambience. It can sell the

products at its own store or piggyback on existing multi brand outlets like Central.

Price:

Products can be manufactured in both mid-price for customers who are looking for

value for money as well as premium for the upper middle class who don’t mind

paying extra but do not want to compromise on the quality. The pricing may be kept


around 15,000-45000 INR for formal suits, 600-3000 INR for t-shirts, 1000-3500 INR

for shirts and trousers.

Product:

The company may look into lowering its operating costs and product manufacture

costs and introduce variety at low turnaround times. Sourcing of quality garment

material like peter England, Reid and Taylor etc. can be considered.

Promotion:

It could promote the products by collaborating with the existing multi brand outlets

and introduce its new line of products at promotional discounts to generate

customer awareness and subsequent interest. It can also allow minor alterations in

a particular size range as part of after sales support. Further offers like bulk

discounts and 4 for the price of 3 can be an option. Advertising on billboards on

busy intersections can also be looked into.

Review and Feedback:

Customers may get irritated if they have to wait for long periods during the process

of measurement and order processing especially if they have nothing to do. This

extra time could be used to make the customers voluntarily fill up short feedback

forms commenting on the overall experience. The form would be of a multiple

choice format asking the customers to rate the various elements on a scale of 1 to

5. These responses will be collected and analyzed weekly. The most frequently

appearing complaints will be given higher priority and addressed at the earliest.

This would ensure ironing out the issues and ensuring they don’t recur again.


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Report on Feasibility Study on Made to Measure Garments

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