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STARTUP // BODY LABS
Jul 25, 2014

We met Julia Gilroy, Director of Business Development for Body Labs, at a fashion tech conference a couple of weeks ago. Right off the bat, we knew Body Labs was the on the cutting edge of fashion tech. We couldn't resist sharing, so we set up a meeting with Julia to learn more. 

Body Labs is the world's largest physical database of human size, shape and motion.

The Body Labs software allows users to create a primary output body model on their web app called Body Hub. 

You upload or create your own body from measurements, which then allows you to extract the data that provides you with what Julia calls "your digital doppelganger". For civilians like us, this means we can get products that are customized to ourselves, especially as our bodies change over time as. We are now able to shop with our actual shapes. Eureka!

Not only does the software identify your specific shape, but Body Labs contributes to their clients' population studies for countries across the world. As they help clearly identify different sizing and classification of body types in their areas, it becomes clear that Body Labs is in revolutionary territory with regard to fashion tech in particular. (At this point, my wheels were turning.) "Women in particular have many different buckets," said Julia. "Apples, pears, hourglass... Then there are the extreme ends of the spectrum: athletes and extreme body players. We are working to see the overall variation of shape based on conditioning and age group." 

I asked Julia how Body Labs would work if I was, for example, a designer. "First, you would create a 3D body model of your fit model, which can be uploaded to your 3D camera. You can then virtually dress the digital fit model or a member of your consumer bank in the clothes you're designing. These programs take into the account the physics of the fabrics you'd be working with, reduce samples, and give designers precise fit data for their consumer base."

The latest project from Body Labs is their new web app called Body Snap, which allows people to scan throw on some leggings, scan themselves from home, and upload to Body Hub, retrieving their body model from there. The app itself is free, though users are charged by body model.

I myself was struck by the potential that Body Labs could have on the fashion industry as a whole. Now with the ability to precisely target specific markets based on body shape, the industry can reduce sample garments, cut back on unnecessary production, and work toward a data based marketplace. As a consumer, the days of buying online and returning are soon-to-be history. Now that's something I think we can all get on board with.

You can follow this startup on Twitter. Are you a FashionTech company with an interesting startup story or product? Let us know by sending an email to: media@dmariearchive.com

 

     interview,, startup,, bodylabs



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