California Apparel News

How many times have customers praised a designer for a pair of perfectly fitted blue jeans and then snapped them up without glancing at the price?

Fit is one of the most important elements in a garment, which is not lost on apparel industry consultant Alvanon and technology company BodiData, which has amassed a wealth of data on three-dimensional body measurements.

The two recently announced they have formed a strategic partnership agreement that will allow Alvanon to integrate BodiData’s body-dimension data into its own demographics database, giving Alvanon’s apparel-sector analysts immediate access to the world’s largest database of body measurements, covering 1 million North American men, women and adolescents.

With this information, Alvanon said it will help brands and retailers define exact body specifications for specific consumer demographics and target markets, no matter what their size. Apparel brands will be able to update their product fit and sizing, including measurement tables, size charts, grade rules, block libraries and identify new growth opportunities for product and market development.

BodiData uses a multi-sensor body technology device to measure individuals when they are fully clothed. It collected data by using millimeter-wave kiosk scanner booths located in more than 55 U.S. malls.

Tuoc Long, BodiData’s chief executive, said the company has the potential to deliver a large category of consumer data that no other company can offer. “Alvanon is the only apparel consulting expert we will be working with in the retail apparel sector,” Long said. “Its deep industry-domain knowledge enables it to extract and utilize the data we collect to provide strategic consumer and market insight.”

Janice Wang, chief executive officer of New York–based Alvanon, said every brand should have a unique DNA fit that is understood and can be replicated through every product and across the supply chain. “Demographic data is just data unless it is analyzed in the right context,” she said. “BodiData is generating big data on U.S. consumers and growing throughout the world. Our domain expertise will enable us to analyze and help apparel brands and retailers define their DNA fit for their target consumer population.”

Because the U.S. population is one of the most ethnically and size diverse in the world, the partnership is expected to help the apparel industry understand a confused market by making better-fitting clothes. “Being able to use the database to create custom solutions for the apparel industry is hugely exciting,” Wang said.

Alvanon works with clients in 89 countries. It helped Marks & Spencer develop a line of denim jeans that focused on fit rather than size. The “Body-Shape Denim” collection had three variations: “Eva” for the pear-shaped woman, “Marilyn” for the hourglass figure and “Lana” for the fuller-waist and slim-hip woman.

Alvanon has its European headquarters in London and an Asian office in Hong Kong. It also has research, development and manufacturing facilities in Dongguan, China.