TOLLAND, Conn., Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In every aspect of the fashion world, digitalization is driving the demand to bring new styles to market faster. This is also true for the world of film and costume creation. Costume replicas are costly and, in the past, they were all done by hand. But recently Gerber Technology combined forces with Global Garment Engineering and 20th Century Fox to replicate costumes worn by Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya in the upcoming film The Greatest Showman (in theaters around the world starting Christmas Day). By leveraging Gerber's integrated digital solutions, they can now be done in a fraction of the time and at a much lower cost.

The challenge 20^th Century Fox presented was to produce 50 sets of replicas of beautiful and complicated costumes in a very short time frame to support the film's release. The product experts at Gerber, working closely with their partner Pat Trautman at Global Garment Engineering, accepted the challenge and leveraged Gerber's industry leading products and team expertise to digitally deconstruct each costume garment without having to take them apart. The job started by digitizing each garment on the Gerber Silhouette^™ table, where pattern files were instantaneously created in AccuMark® – the industry-leading pattern design, grading, marker making and production planning software. The patterns were simultaneously passed into AccuMark 3D, where they were draped on avatars to validate pattern pieces and review virtual samples. The digital sampling process allowed the team to ensure the patterns would accurately and precisely be sewn together to create perfect replicas.

"Precision as we digitized the original costumes into the patterns was key to achieve the speed and quality we needed to accurately replicate these beautiful garments in such a short time frame." stated Mary McFadden, executive director of CAD at Gerber Technology.

Prior to project kickoff, photographs, technical sketches, measurements, component details and assembly instructions were compiled within YuniquePLM® to ensure planning, management and tracking of each essential step was executed properly and timelines were met.

After the patterns were validated in AccuMark 3D, data was passed to AccuNest™ to create markers ensuring the optimum yield was achieved from the beautiful and expensive fabrics needed to produce the costumes. Over 22 diverse fabrics were spread and cut. "By using AccuNest, we were able to achieve a 3-6% improvement on fabric yield which was a substantial cost savings for the project" said Mary McFadden. A cut ticket was then generated for each of the garments to pass data from technical design through to production. The barcode on the cut ticket transfers all the fabric and marker data essential to efficiently spread and cut each costume.

In the cut room at Gerber's headquarters in Tolland, Connecticut, product experts loaded the fabric, scanned the cut ticket on the GERBERspreader™ XLs125 where the spread details were automatically transferred without manual re-entry of any of the information. After monitoring the spread, the material was passed on to be cut using the Gerber Paragon® HX. At the Gerber Paragon, the cut ticket was scanned again to pull up the marker for each garment. After carefully managing the process and labeling the bundles of cut parts, they were packed and shipped to New York for assembly.

Pat Trautman and her team from Global Garment Engineering brought their expertise and passion to ensure every detail was handled on time and with a constant focus on ensuring the quality of the replicas would match the designer's vision for each of the original costumes.

"We are honored to have completed this project with 20th Century Fox. It has allowed the team to use its expertise and display their pride in all that they have accomplished with our digital solutions offering," said Mohit Uberoi, CEO, Gerber Technology. We are all looking forward to the release of The Greatest Showman.

The whole process will be demonstrated at ideation 2017 and conference attendees will be able to see the replica costumes, experience the technology and speak directly with the team members who worked on the project. View the movie trailer here.

Register for ideation to connect the possibilities of technology, http://www.gerbertechnology.com/ideation2017

About The Greatest Showman

Inspired by the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is a bold and original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and the sense of wonder we feel when dreams come to life. It is directed by exciting new filmmaker, Michael Gracey, with songs by Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ("La La Land") and stars Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman. Jackman is joined by Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, Zendaya, Zac Efron and Rebecca Ferguson.

About Twentieth Century Fox Film

One of the world's largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of the studio: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Productions, and Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

About Gerber Technology

Gerber Technology delivers industry-leading software and automation solutions that help apparel and industrial customers improve their manufacturing and design processes and more effectively manage and connect the supply chain, from product development and production to retail and the end customer. Gerber serves 78,000 customers in 130 countries, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies in apparel & accessories, home and leisure, transportation, packaging and sign & graphics. The company develops and manufactures its products from various locations in the United States and Canada and has additional manufacturing capabilities in China.

Based in Connecticut in the USA, Gerber Technology is owned by AIP, a New York based, global private equity firm specializing in the technology sector and has more than $3.0 billion assets under management. Visit www.gerbertechnology.com for more information.

Contact: Jamie Bibb
Tel: +1 419 244 7766
jbibb@communica.world

SOURCE Gerber Technology

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