Enter the Fashion Tech Transformation at Kornit Fashion Week London
Maor Yur
April 26, 2022
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but in the world of fashion, witnessing creative innovations with your own eyes is worth a million. That’s why we’re showcasing Kornit’s latest advancements as a key component of our Kornit Fashion Week London program, taking place at the Kornit UK Innovation Centre.
A joint venture with visionary fashion fulfillers and educators Fashion-Enter, the Innovation Centre was created as an immersive experience to demonstrate how Kornit’s digital on-demand production solutions are empowering creators to bring their designs to life with quality, efficiency, durability, and a sustainable, eco-responsible production process.
When considering introducing these innovations to Europe’s fashionable crowd, we knew how important it was to find the perfect partners in print. Joining hands with Fashion-Enter for another creative adventure was an easy choice. Fashion-Enter is an award-winning social enterprise that serves as a garment manufacturing excellence center, offering tools and knowledge for upcoming fashion professionals.
We sat down to discuss the agenda with Fashion-Enter’s CEO, Jenny Holloway, and Kornit’s UK and Ireland Country Manager, Phil Oakley.
What connects the two companies, making this collaboration between Kornit and Fashion-Enter unique?
Jenny: The collaboration started when like-minded people from both companies met while recording a podcast and found plenty of room for mutual growth. We quickly learned that we shared similar ethical and sustainable values and wanted to work together to improve the fashion industry and reduce waste. Kornit is leading the way in ethical printing and software development for end-to-end fulfillment. I believe a one-piece flow is an ultimate solution in lean manufacturing, which aligns perfectly with Fashion-Enter’s mission statement. This is a unique, rewarding partnership where synergies are created for the betterment of all in fashion today.
Phil: This is a unique opportunity to showcase on-demand manufacturing based on the highest ethical standards both companies promote. At Fashion-Enter, our team is focused on skilling up the workforce needed to ensure onshore, sustainable production. With Kornit’s vision and technologies, we can offer relevant solutions for any brand, fulfiller, or textile producer.
What makes this project relevant for printers and fulfillers?
Phil: Brands are looking for agile, on-demand production and manufacturing solutions. Through this collaboration, we allow printers to become fulfillers, and both can turn into manufacturers. As consumers are asking for finished products that are tailored and ethical, the Kornit Innovation Centre educates the market and gives businesses the tools to answer those needs.
Jenny: The partnership answers two core demands. It gives new generations the latest skills and techniques in digital printing and manufacturing, specifically focusing on reshoring high-caliber productions. In addition, it offers retailers and consumers a sustainable way forward. Reducing waste and water consumption by printing wisely negates the use of NDC and carbon emissions, all without compromising the fashionable result. This is the future of fashion on many levels.
What would you like Innovation Centre visitors to learn and understand?
Phil: This site invites visitors to explore, develop, test, and define a truly digital fashion or textile strategy, from the online purchasing journey to the fulfillment of a finished product. We demonstrate automation of entire workflows to ultimately ensure a nimble, cost-efficient, and sustainable microfactory.
Jenny: We want visitors to see that the old way of buying and producing garments is long gone, and there’s no reason to keep trying to predict sales while piling stock of unsold items.
We invite industry leaders to visit the Innovation Centre by saying, “Come and see the future of fashion.” What do you think this future holds?
Phil: Brands today execute a customer-facing digital strategy with many different levels of success. The online experience often suffers from a back-end supply chain and manufacturing system stuck in the previous century! If the fashion industry today were a car, it would have the body of a Tesla with the gas-guzzling engine of a 1900s Cadillac. Industry leaders can start to learn how to re-design the engine of fashion to operate in not just a more sustainable and ethical way but also in a more creative and agile manner with a faster time to market.
On the other hand, what will remain just as important?
Jenny: Quality assurance and ethical production will always remain a major priority for retailers and consumers. This is where Fashion-Enter can excel by being the only factory in the UK offering a Fast Forward Audit of the highest standards. However, it’s not enough to be an outstanding manufacturer of choice. The new technology and software that Kornit brings mark the defining way forward for the planet.
Phil: Quality remains relevant and not just in terms of the garment but in everything the brand stands for. Customers today know what they want but often will choose what’s convenient to buy and prefer brands that deliver service. Fast fashion is still alive as brands are not truly helping the consumer change. This is a ticking time bomb as future generations demand transparency and authenticity across the board.
If you’re eager to witness live demos of the future of fashion, visit us at the Kornit Fashion Week London.
Registration on now open!
