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“Germany Has a Culture of Innovation We Need to Utilise It” Lisa Lang, the founder of fashion-tech start-up ElektroCouture and a jury member at the Telekom Fashion Fusion competition for fashion technology, believes in Europe as a production location with an Industry 4.0 hub in Berlin. Interview: Quynh Tran. Photo: ElektroCouture
Is Europe in the process of becoming more attractive as a production location for the textile industry again?
Our customers repeatedly tell me about how they had to schedule more time and face higher costs after moving their respective production processes to Asia due to lower prices. It seems like they are experiencing something akin to a hangover. For more than ten years, we experienced a price decline that brought us into a situation in which there is no quality, no development, no innovation, and no joy. The creative heads are “burned”, mainly because they are expected to produce constantly. Europe has become more attractive as a location in recent years, because industry players have recognised that price isn’t all that matters and that Europe can offer both style and innovation. The necessary infrastructure is already in place and the price is absolutely justified due to the fact that the producers know what they’re doing. If we order something in Europe, we can be sure that it will be produced, delivered on time, and that there will be no waste. In order to work successfully, you have to work together with people and machines. In this context, it is an advantage that the developers, producers, and the market itself are in close proximity of each other. Which role does digitalisation of the industry - socalled Industry 4.0 - play in this context?
First and foremost, Industry 4.0 allows you to take advantage of existing technologies
more efficiently by manipulating them via digitalisation. One can, for instance, re-programme sewing machines and looms to create a more innovative and more efficient production process. On the other hand, there are new forms of fashion technologies that enable us to work with completely new materials. Examples include smart textiles and 3D printers. Owning a 3D printer, with which one can supply a customer with a customised product after a scan, must sound like a wet dream to large clothing manufacturers. This is also the wish of the customer. However, the reality looks a little different. 3D printing hasn’t been perfected yet, there are still certain problems in terms of construction, and the whole process remains too expensive. Furthermore, there are no certifications for 3D printed products and scalable manufacturing costs only work when there are standards that allow producers to hedge risks. The situation in terms of prototyping is a little better. For a designer, there is nothing better than having an idea, uploading it into a machine, and printing a 3D shape almost instantly. The jewellery and accessories segments are more advanced in this respect. One can print a mould for casting, which is actually more precise and cheaper than the classic mould production process. One can also print 3D objects that are subsequently coated with gold and/or silver. Europe has a high-quality, quick production chain. We don’t need to look beyond the borders of Europe, because everything
is already here in that area. Especially when it comes to new-fangled techniques, designers have to look into the production chain. In this case, it is in Europe. Vojd Studios, for example, is a Berlin-based 3D printing studio that designs couture jewellery, but also produces for the likes of Alexander McQueen and Dior. The latter brought their business to Berlin instead of staying in London or Paris. This is crazy, especially considering how much Berlin is struggling with its reputation. However, Berlin has an emerging new generation of individuals who promote high-tech, high-quality innovations with the typical German seriousness.
Lisa Lang firmly believes that the use of technology can prove to be a catalyst for returning production capacities to Europe.
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