Taking part in this event, I was given the opportunity to meet incredible people and explore strategies and ideas from the most advanced companies. Having met and spoken to various companies at the event, here is a list of the startups to watch, if you want to keep up with front-rank technologies in the apparel industry.

1. Swatchbook

2. SUBSTANCE by Allegorithmic

Allegorithmic was established in 2003 as a company in Game and Film industry, now turning towards fashion to reimagine the process of creating textures and patterns. Substance consists of Painter, Designer and Source, solutions for parametric PBR materials. Software called Painter allows to apply materials on 3D objects; a Designer is a tool for creating and editing digital materials either from scan or scratch; and Source is an online library of Substance materials, known for its visual quality.

3. ShareCloth

A complex cloud solution for apparel on-demand e-commerce. ShareCloth, a startup that I founded, develops infrastructure that connects Brands with manufacturers while enabling direct-to-consumer apparel business. On the manufacturing site, it helps to optimize unpredictable demand and overproduction. And in the retail – reduce returns and increase customers loyalty.

4. FISION

Fision helps to answer «to buy or not to buy» question. The body scanning technology allows scanning your body in seconds with a smartphone or notebook. Then the AI algorithms match the body data with product data and give recommendation whether the item will look good on the person, fit the size and match the style. Omni-channel shopping experience boom is a matter of nearest years now.

5. 3DLOOK

Take a selfie – know your ideal size. 3DLOOK is developing a virtual try-on solution using AI technologies. It’s API called SAIA Perfect Fit encourages online retailers’ customers to upload two mobile photos. Then it recommends the best size based on measurement and body shape data. For brands, it means fewer returns and higher conversion rates. The other product is SAIA 3D. It generates customers’ body models from that two photos and the 3D avatars can be used for virtual fitting rooms or pre-production.

6. Bespokify

Just as you can see from its name, Bespokify enables to create bespoke apparel patterns in no time. The web application helps to create individual fit of any garment, from a t-shirt to a wetsuit. After the pattern is created, all other materials needed to produce and sell your unique designs can be generated in minutes.

The technology includes automating product development, grading, sampling, costing and much more. It allows brands to shorten the product launch timeline from months to hours and even minutes, as well as to be extremely responsive to trends.

7. CLO

CLO Virtual Fashion makes 3D samples look real. This company created a software solution that gives brands a tool to instantly visualize any number of variations and design details and garment categories. So you do not need to review and remake a physical sample many times before production.

8. Inspectorio

Inspectorio helps companies to build an interconnected digital ecosystem around their supply chain. It offers a SaaS platform, promising outstanding collaboration and connectivity between key stakeholders as well as robust algorithms for automation with the help of cognitive computing. The platform features real-time data sharing, predictive-recommended action plans, defect prediction algorithm, risk assessment, compliance verification, the adaptive inspection process, and more.

Overall, PI Apparel 2018 opened doors and gave me the opportunity to talk to the founders and teams of these startups. The demos that I got to see at the fair were so impressive, that I cannot wait to watch the innovations disrupt the industry and becoming part of our everyday life as fashion and apparel professionals.

Check the complete list of all the startups here. You’ll definitely find some more hidden gems there.

Share Your Tips & Corrections