Often it is believed that CAD (Computer Aided Design) is primarily an industry application. However, CAD refers to a broad range of design programs that surrounds a number of creative fields including Fashion Designing. One of the industries which has seen tremendous growth in the use of CAD software in the last few decades is Fashion Industry.
The link between Computers & Fashion Designing has developed and evolved over the decades with the changing time, taste and pace of fashion and style. And when we talk about Fashion and application of computers in the fashion industry, we cannot imagine the smooth functioning of it without the use of CAD Software. And nowadays, we are seeing the link between fashion design and CAD is growing stronger and deeper. The knowledge of CAD software is essential for an aspiring Fashion Designer entering the Fashion industry and even for an established fashion designer within the Fashion Industry. So, before we jump into understanding how is CAD so important in Fashion Designing for a Fashion Designer as well as Fashion Design Institutes let us understand what exactly is Computer Aided Design (CAD).
What is Computer Aided Design (CAD)?
Computer Aided Design (CAD) is the use of computer technology for the process of design development / collection development. CAD reduces the requirement of manual sketching which is very crucial for fashion sketches, flat drawing, pattern making development, manual marker planning and many other fashion designing related aspects. Although, the initial need to sketch out the design cannot be replaced by computer technology especially for sketches in fashion design, it has reduced the time consumed and has increased the output levels. Fashion Design Institute students today need the knowledge of how to use these CAD software as they are the future of Fashion Industry. Computer aided design helps cut down the time factor and helps to reduce the possibility of error to bare minimum for aspiring fashion designers. Established Fashion Designers and Fashion Industry experts already know the potential of the CAD software and hence they are already leveraging it.
Read More: How to Become A Successful Fashion Designer
Benefits & Importance of Computer Aided Design in Fashion Industry
1. Using CAD software, a fashion designer can create new sketches, patterns, prints more quickly and precisely. With the increasing use of CAD, fashion designers can create multiple variations of a single design and style and adapt it to varying material and pattern.
2. CAD also allows the fashion designer to explore various color-ways of a print developed as opposed to the traditional design methods the alterations and rectifications are quick as well as more accurate, as it reduces rooms for errors.
3. As the whole process from print development, collection development can be done on virtual version and very less part of the whole process is an actual physical raw material the cost of collection development in fashion designing can be reduced to a minimum.
Even though we speak highly about the use and importance of Computer Aided Design Software in the Fashion Industry, one should not forget and ignore the beauty and intricacy that is the essence of in manual designing and hand work. The technologies used today will be obsolete in a few years and might be replaced with a new one, but the knowledge gained and understanding developed with the help of Manual Designing is invaluable and hence a fine balance between the use of computer technology and manual designing is very important.
