As rendering technology has improved, and with the current difficulty of getting photos of physical samples, Otto International customers are beginning to use digitally generated 3D images of garments on their online stores.
The images were in-part created by the team at featuring LIMITED, a fully owned OI subsidiary that serves as our R&D department. “This is one of many projects that featuring is working on,” says Katharina Bobrowski, featuring’s GM. “We generally work on style development, but we recently digitally developed our own line of sustainable face coverings, as well as completed many renderings of final garments.”
The first rendering request came from Bonprix, a fellow member of the Otto Group and long-time customer. “The OI Bonprix team couldn’t provide physical samples of this garment on time. So, what did OI do? We continued to work on the sample but in 3D; no problem.”
In the end, Bonprix was so satisfied with the outcome of the 3D renderings that they decided to try it on their e-commerce platform. “We are very flexible with what kind of renderings we can provide,” explains Katharina. “We can place the garment on a human avatar of the customer’s choosing; We can also create a “ghost” rendering where the garment is suspended in the virtual space and looks like it is being worn.
“The only limitation is the customer’s requirement, which is usually based on the aesthetic of the catalogue or platform where the image will be used.”
The project’s success depended on featuring’s team in Hong Kong collaborating with the OI Bonprix team in Dhaka. “The Bangladesh team is very advanced with 3D design but featuring was happy to play a supporting role. We were in close contact with each other throughout the whole process.”
Since the first Bonprix garment was placed on their store in July, featuring LIMITED has received more requests from Bonprix and multiple other OI customers. “We are very happy Bonprix picked it up. It shows how our digital solutions make the whole process easier, which means we can work around disruptions like COVID-19.”
With the first renderings on customer platforms, and with several more styles to be uploaded soon, Katharina and the featuring team hope the work keeps up: “we want this trend to continue well after COVID-19 is gone.”
