A Digital Switch for the Swatch
A Digital Switch for the Swatch
Somehow fabrics treated like sheer royalty residing in traditionally set up textile mills were convinced to shed inhibitions and pose for virtual tours. The fabric that once upon a time had its fate decided by a distributor painstakingly examining it is now being showcased digitally to a large group of buyers world wide. Fashion , textile, accessories and lifestyle business owners can now digitally touch and feel fabrics living miles away from the grand family run mill these are routinely being sourced from. A digital market that establishes a connect between man and mills. Sparing you the effort of navigating through a vast and un-organised fabric industry. The swatch decided to switch and affordable authentic heirloom fabrics became a reality for both regional and global buyers.
Source: Pexels.com
The bigger switch fabric sourcing companies are making is a mindset change. To match a new breed of consumers cross checking facts surrounding the fabric they buy. You may or may not virtually sense the fact that showcased fabrics are pure, organic and sustainable. Unless long-standing fabric buying habits have made your instincts sharp at decoding. Despite which portals are doing their best to technically do all they can to give you a real time feel of fabric print, texture , thickness and colour.
The best bit is that these online fabric sourcing companies are not aiming to cater only to bulk buyers . Businesses of all sizes are free to approach them and small orders will get the same undivided attention as the bulk orders. Like fabrics the aim is to be fluid and free flowing in the way you form an association with buyers.Sustainable fashion today is synonymous with being niche and not freely accessible to all. A virtual business of mill woven and strewn fabrics is now making buying these a possibility for one and all.
When the swatch made the digital switch in real time it also made it easy for companies to reach out to customers of varied categories from fashion designers to aficionados to fashion house marketers to stylists to entrepreneurs. Yes the global village that digital platform's have built gives you so much more access. Once you are sure that your fabrics meet industry requirements and have the necessary certification that bulk buying essentially needs, you are ready to go virtual.
But the early stages of the purchase cycle can be tricky, as fabrics for many need to be sensed and felt for real. So arranging for online fabric swatch sample orders where varied fabric types are shipped on order makes room for building consumer faith.. This gives the buyers more confidence and the realisation that that online look and feel was just the same offline too. The tallying of texture , colour blends and fabric thickness gets tangible as well. Clients want high quality fabrics that last longer in their closets . The swatches help build trust offline and online too. Every business is seeking an authentic connection to its source, companies like ours are wanting to only transition this transparency online.
Source: Pexels.com
Ironically the fabric industry too is not as free flowing as fabrics themselves . It’s largely fragmented. By providing online access we are also helping our buyers navigate through it with ease and minimal effort. Zero commute and from the comfort of homes and offices sustainable and organic fabric sourcing is now a possibility.
The bigger switch that our swatches reflect is that of sustainability. Renowned fashion brands are aspiring for growth that does not come at the cost of grievances caused to the planet. Reports and surveys suggest that textile is only second to the oil industry in contributing to high levels of planet pollution. There are grim realities underlying all the glamour and that explains why the industry today is trying its level best to adopt new methods of manufacturing fabric. Methods that spell evolution for the fashion industry and restoration for the planet. Buyers online are well equipped with this upcoming conscientious trend and are happy to associate with conscientiously sourcing companies. Giving us a chance to start a virtual community of companies and consumers keen to adhere to planet friendly fibre and planet honouring fashion.
Traditionally renowned mill sourced fabrics have an old world charm that buyers offline as well as online find tough to resist. As a founder of Vuja De, fabrics sourced from my family run mill Velcord Textiles, I know up-close the legacy of every fabric we sell online. The cotton sourcing for fabric manufacturing within these traditional mills ensures the usage of the finest cotton from the choicest fields of our cotton rich country. Today cotton is the most sought after fabric in the textile industry and is labeled as the white gold of India. Buyers are ensured of product traceability be it buying a pure or a blended version. Sustainable fabrics guarantee durability as well as traceability. Mill sourced fabric buying has long lasting benefits.
Once buyers discover fabrics that compliment their products and ensure good sale figures they use sourcing companies as suppliers of their staple within every season to create a consistency in their growth. Fabrics must withstand the demands of design to truly be labeled as functional. Mills also offer way more innovation as they produce yardage and colours each season on new items. Once you discover a truly good source providing you with the choicest fabrics online for every season you can get your business to grow in leaps and bounds.
With digitalisation and simplification of fabric sourcing online companies have a chance to be the best destination for the fashion and lifestyle industry. Helping newbies as well as established names to be competent in a market that is dynamic and ever changing.
We are slowly witnessing the rise of slow fashion relying on quality fabrics sourced from heritage mills that are truly a class apart from synthetic fabrics that are typically used to create fast fashion. Will the swatch switch the industry to a better connection in fibre to fashion chain?