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Uniqlo to debut on-demand knitwear to counter Zozo

Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing is strengthening its partnership with a Japanese machinery maker to develop new products and on-demand production. The move follows Japanese online retailer Start Today's launch of custom-fit clothing brand Zozo earlier this year, and shows how fashion companies are increasingly using data to meet individual customers' needs.

Zozo, which offers affordable clothes based on individual size measurements taken using a special bodysuit and a smartphone app, is seen as a potential threat to Uniqlo. Fast Retailing machinery partner Shima Seiki supplies equipment used in clothing factories, including WholeGarment seamless knitwear production gears. The two companies have a joint venture since 2016.

Fast Retailing markets WholeGarment products only under Uniqlo U, a high-end brand led by French designer Christophe Lemaire sold at Uniqlo stores. The Japanese company is looking to use more WholeGarment products in its brands.

This suggests Fast Retailing is eyeing customized clothes to fit consumer's different needs, at a mass scale. WholeGarment machines are used by various brands. Customers enjoy the comfort, while apparel manufacturers benefit from the automation.

Customization is a recent trend in the fashion industry, for customers who are looking for things that meet their individual needs. The difficulty for apparel companies has been to produce customized products at mass scale, to lower costs.

 
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