The fashion brand’s global presence threw up challenges for management keen to involve its worldwide staff in design decision-making. A bespoke videoconferencing system reduced travel time, Hilfiger’s carbon footprint and allowed virtual input between its designers and manufacturers.

Approving a design idea is an arduous task when your offices are spread around the globe. This inconvenience was the price of success for fashion house Tommy Hilfiger until, that is, it teamed up with Tandberg to install a bespoke HD videoconferencing system.

The potential benefits of well-designed videoconferencing were obvious to Tommy Hilfiger’s management. It meant fewer hours spent flying around the world, lower carbon emissions, a more efficient workflow and greater, more instantaneous, input in decision-making.

The clothing company laid out its brief to Tandberg – which became part of the newly formed Cisco TelePresence Technology Group in April this year – to provide Hilfiger’s international offices with virtual fitting rooms that would allow immediate global ‘in-person’ collaboration between Hilfiger’s designers and its manufacturing facilities. The system connects offices in Amsterdam, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo, with more sites expected to follow suit.

The project replicates the experience of being in a fitting room with designers, models, manufacturers and advisers, who need to examine every aspect of the apparel, working to bring it to market faster. Erik Swart, country manager for Tandberg, says: ‘This is the first virtual fitting room, or catwalk if you will, in the industry. This technology is not just for board rooms and executives anymore. More and more, we are delivering systems to connect people at all levels and help increase competitive advantage.’

Add-ons such as mobile cameras and recording facilities allowed the design teams – in Amsterdam and New York – to collaborate faster and more effectively with the manufacturing team, based in Hong Kong.

‘Our selection criteria was quality, reliability and price. Quality means fast (no latency), high availability and secure networks. We also wanted HD video and audio, a web portal for users to manage their own meetings and online help,” says Mike Day, chief information officer for Tommy Hilfiger.

Teams can now discuss the development of the collection without having to take long-distance flights. Also, a crucial technological advance for Hilfiger, which made the project possible, was the ability to stream HD-quality content. The design house uses mobile cameras to focus on details of a particular garment.

Videoconferencing has allowed the fashion brand to bring project teams and experts together more often and at lower costs. The fashion industry is shortening design and production times, hence reducing time to market. Telepresence has reached reliability and quality levels standards that mean it can improve information flow and immediate feedback, allowing development teams to work faster, as Tommy Hilfiger is demonstrating.

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