I do think the demand for customization is only going to grow and believe it could even drastically change how we buy our clothing etc. I think this will affect the industry because it is going to change the humble t-shirt. In a recent talk I heard by Charles Ohiaeri, Chief Fulfillment Officer of Zazzle he noted that 67% of all of their orders are personalized. Their network makes 250,000 products a day so that really stood out to me. The fashion world is already seeing major disruption by “fast fashion” where consumers are taking part in the look and design of the garments they want and they are getting them made for them. I think we will also see clothing sizing change. There will no longer be a Medium but instead an “Aaron Sized” garment based on a scan. Digital one pass printing technology is evolving quickly so the ability and cost to customize will continue to change for the positive for the consumers. Printwear companies need to start thinking about how they can help their customers set themselves apart through customization and personalization of products. Recently, Youtube announced a partnership with Teesprings to allow their content creators an avenue to sell shirts to their viewers. Those are thousands of “brands” that need a tangible product that their viewers can connect with because we are human. We have a tactile need to connect so until we all become cyborgs, there is a lot of business to be had out there.
