F&F Gets the r iGht F irst-t ime F it

Customer Story

with Lectra’s 3D virtuaL prototypinG soLution

lectra.com

C h a l l e n g e

M a R K e T S

Affordable clothing, destined for own market and franchises in over 23 countries.

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Hatfield, United Kingdom

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F&F is the clothing branch of UK supermarket chain Tesco, which started as a market stall in London in 1919. In 2013 they boasted a turnover of $120 billion. “Fast-fashion and super-market fashion customers don’t have time to try [on clothes]; time poor, they need to trust that they will get the right fit in any style,” explains Kathy Fawcett, F&F technical manager.

To compete in the furious fast-fashion industry and gain international market share after launching a retail franchise model, F&F needed to strategically upgrade by better controlling fit and quality across styles and suppliers.

To coincide with F&F’s global roll out 18 months ago, the brand brought pattern making in-house, gaining control and improving communication with suppliers. Lectra’s virtual prototyping solutions cut down on the number of physical samples that need to be produced, significantly reducing time to market. “We can now get products in store within four weeks,” says F&F senior womenswear designer Ben Lee, highlighting one of the many advantages Lectra has brought to the table. “Today, we are in control of grading and patterns. Whereas previously suppliers created patterns based on a size chart and the resulting patterns and garments were open to interpretation,” explains Kathy Fawcett.

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F&F pride themselves on value for money, great ethically-sourced fabrics, being on-trend and having a perfect fit no matter what the style. F&F sources from over 27 countries and now retails in 23 countries including the notoriously difficult US market where a push included the opening of a New York flagship in July 2014. F&F’s garment fit is region-specific, therefore boosting international communication and collaboration was a priority that entailed an overhaul of their internal process.

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“Customers are all different shapes and sizes. People in Vietnam don’t need the same styles or sizes as people in the UK. We needed to have more flexibility in the way we made samples and prototypes,” says Alan Wragg F&F technical director. For F&F going global didn’t just mean a booming retail rollout, but also successfully controlling the communication, patterns and specifications, and hence the final product and delivery schedule from global suppliers. With Lectra, this previously complicated process has become fluid. “If I make a pattern, I can check the fit and if I’m happy with the fit, I’m confident to send that out to a factory,” explains Kathy Fawcett.

Kathy Fawcett, F&F Technical Manager

R I g h T f I R S T T I M e f I T

F&F are able to boast that their clothes truly fit today’s child. Using data provided by a recent survey of UK children’s body shapes, F&F updated their size chart. Then, with Lectra’s 3D simulations, this “right fit” of the modern child was adopted to their entire school ware range and across all children’s wear.

“Lectra allowed us to adapt the fit of the product in virtual reality across the whole size range. We were the only retailer in the UK to get the summer range fitting the modern child as opposed to the child of 1955,” says Alan Wragg. Size grading across F&F’s entire offer has become automatic and accurate boosting the quality and customer loyalty.

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However perfect fit was only one challenge; as retail becomes increasingly competitive, fashion needs to be on-trend, no matter the price category. “We want to sell a product that’s fashionable in the current season, not in the next season,” insists Alan Wragg, underlining F&F’s need for rapid time-to-market. “It’s brilliant for designers. It allows them to visualize what their initial concept will look like before it goes out to suppliers. It’s essential that we can see how each print looks on each size,” designer Ben Lee says, referring to how Lectra’s 3D solution is being integrated and saving his team and himself time, by reducing errors previously only visible on physical samples.

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Lectra in FashionWith over 40 year’s of expertise in fashion and apparel, Lectra’s mission is to provide a complete spectrum of design, development, and production solutions to confront 21st-century challenges. From first creative spark to final product, our professional services address an end-to-end process. We support the day-to-day operations of our customers in over 100 countries for around-the-clock process optimization. From fast fashion to luxury to ready-to-wear, Lectra’s 23,000 customers in markets as diverse as casual, sports, outdoor, denim, and lingerie represent every development and sourcing model imaginable. Beyond suppliers and manufacturers, they are the brands you love and the stores where you shop. lectra.com

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a M b I T I O U S O n g O I n g T R a n S f O R M a T I O n

“If we can use Lectra to do a single virtual fit approval, without having to cut any fabric anywhere in the world, that will transform the way we do business.” Alan Wragg.

We can now get products in-store within

four weeks.