In occasion of this year's coincidence of Fashion Revolution Week and Girls in ICT Day (April 22), we have interviewed some of our members working in fashion and asked about their view on the digitalization of their business. Here, Adriana Hoppenbrouwer, Co-founder of The Fabricant, shares her perspective.
1) Has technology always played such a big role in your business?
“Yes, The Fabricant was born in the intersection of fashion and technology. We see ourselves as ‘fashionauts’ committed to exploring the potential of this new world through digital only fashion. We see the opportunity to use technology to make the industry more sustainable while expanding its creative options in unlimited new ways”
2) What do you think about the evolution of technology in fashion, especially since the pandemic started?
“We started in 2018 and back then, the understanding of digital fashion was very limited. The pandemic has forced all of us to engage more digitally and the fashion industry to better understand the possibilities in the digital realm.”
3) What difficulties did you encounter while implementing the use of technology in your business and what advantages did it bring you?
“As front-runners we take responsibility for educating the industry at large about the opportunities of digital fashion. We had to develop our own practices and are continuously prototyping new digital fashion experiences and use cases.”
4) In your opinion, what are the necessary elements for any digital fashion label/house to be successful?
“Digital fashion challenges the norms of the fashion industry and enables a collaborative, creative and inclusive new space, where people are not passive consumers, but creative agents. Building your own fashion label identity and connecting collaborative with your community is key.”
5) What do you think of the future of digital fashion?
“We believe the digital fashion future is collaborative and decentralized, giving free rein for everybody to express themselves fully without any boundaries of physicality.”
6) What tips would you give to women entrepreneurs who are trying to include/amplify a digital section in their fashion business?
“Join the movement! Digital fashion is a nascent industry with a large transformative potential. Take action instead of waiting for “perfe-action”.
