Digital fitting rooms rise to prominence

Friday, January 24, 2014 - 09:55 by Sarah Collinson

The concept of being able to try on clothes without actually wearing them in person may sound like something out of a sci-fi film, but this week BBC News reports that a growing number of virtual services which replicate the functions of fitting rooms online.

British start-up Fits.me has been touting its wares to a number of major retailers, several of which have taken advantage of the technology already. This includes fashion outlets such as Superdry and even designer firm, Hugo Boss.

The idea is that not only will customers be able to buy clothes through safe shopping online and know whether or not they will both fit and look good, but retailers will also save money because they will not have to deal with the same volume of returns as is currently the case.

At the moment, the underlying tech is relatively basic, and will give users a rough estimate of how things would look in the flesh. But other companies are working with more impressive, as well as expensive, solutions, which will replicate the full tailoring process.

The idea is that a customer can have their whole body scanned and then the minute measurements taken will be sent to tailors overseas, where suits, dresses and other items of clothing can be made inexpensively but with a high level of quality.

While people may not be getting this type of scanner in their own home in the immediate future, it does seem likely that online shopping will eventually evolve to incorporate virtual fitting rooms and even tailoring options at some point soon.

For the time being, customers may still have to order two or three different sizes of the same item to make sure that they get the best fit.