Abstract

The apparel industry has recently tried to lower its global pollution by switching to more sustainable production methods. One of these methods is virtual apparel sampling. It provides less waste, is cost-effective, faster, and more sustainable. Browzwear is one of the leading software companies that brands are using to produce virtual prototypes. Digitized fabric is a significant component in creating a proper virtual garment. To test how reliable digital fabrics are, specifically in Browzwear, researchers selected five fabrics with different weaves and knits. They then performed standard lab testing and compared the results with the properties provided by Browzwear testing. The fabrics were manipulated using different sewing techniques and were compared to their virtual renderings. These comparisons were put into a survey that was deployed to university students and faculty members with different experience levels to understand how similarities and differences were perceived. The study showed that it could not be determined whether Browzwear uses conventional testing methods to gather fabric data for their digital fabrics. Additionally, the visual survey indicated that participants preferred physical fabrics over digital ones, suggesting that digital fabrics do not create a perfect digital double at this time.