Customization is the New Black

Americans have come to expect that the products they buy are exactly what they want. The color, the size, the shape - it's all exactly what the customer chooses. Companies have been trying to figure out ways to customize each item for each customer individually in a way that doesn't break the bank. The idea of customization for clothing and accessories is not new, but with today's technology, maybe we can finally offer fully customized items for every client.

Customizable Clothing

Dolce & Gabbana understands the power of expression and the power of customization. Every person is different, and every person deserves the freedom to express themselves. Starting with customizable shoes, D&G are trying out customization on their website. By using various tools, customers can choose from a variety of things to make their shoes different from others.

This is a bit of a new shift for the clothing industry. Customization for phone cases and other household items has been around for some time now. The market for customized nicknacks is quite strong. Having the ability to customize one's clothing seems like an obvious improvement in fashion. A person can be considered fashionable for wearing a certain cut of a certain brand, but they one-up everyone else by having a one-of-a-kind design they made themselves on top of the already-latest piece of clothing.

Celebrities and Customization

Celebrities have embraced the trend of customized clothing. Adam Lambert and Brittney Spears have both been seen wearing D&G lately, and both wearing customizable shoes. The offer of great, high-quality shoes with one's own favorite custom design is a great attraction for new customers.

Other shoe manufacturers, such as Nike and Adidas, also have customizable shoe options. The industry sees the demand for customizable clothing, and companies are trying their best to adapt to the very unique needs of their customers. The truth is, however, that customizable clothing is incredibly difficult to produce.

Having Proper Production Methods

To properly produce customizable goods, a company needs to first have a way to field that design from the customer. On the Dolce & Gabanna website, the software assists the customer in designing the shoe exactly how they want it. With Nike, the software is similar. A customer can drag the camera around in a 360-degree view and move symbols around, change colors, change materials, and many other different options.

Having all of these different possible iterations of a shoe means that mass-production is not possible for that type of shoe. One can assume that this makes the shoe more expensive, and it should. Think of the amount of time it takes to produce one custom shoe versus mass-producing the same shoe over and over.

Future of Customization

The future of customization is that every piece of clothing will be available for customization. Some customers may never need to go that route, but others will embrace the ability to fully customize everything they wear. It's like having specially tailored clothing on every part of the body and for all accessories. If you truly love what you wear and want to be noticed for your expression in fashion, customization can not be beaten.