3 questions for . . .
Jacques-Hervé Lévy, CEO, IFTH
Jacques-Hervé Lévy was appointed CEO of the Institut Français du Textile et de l’Habillement (French Textile and Apparel Institute) in June, but he’s no newcomer to the sector. From 2001 to 2012 he held the post of Regional Director at the Institute. Previous responsibilities in marketing and business strategy for both big and smaller firms took him all over the globe. Prior to this appointment he also served as CEO of ENSAIT (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Industries Textiles).
What are the IFTH’s activities, both in general and those specifically linked to ready-to-wear?
As an industrial technical centre, the IFTH’s mission is to contribute to the economic development of businesses in the sector. To do this, the IFTH invests its budget in consulting and services concerning economics and technology which are made available to all textile and apparel professionals. Institute teams are present in around ten locations throughout France, creating ties with a network of specifically selected, renown partners who are active in training and research and development.
Our primary role is to nurture the thought processes of business managers by providing them with technical information in particular. To do this we rely on a strategic monitoring system that uses high performance tools.
The IFTH includes around a hundred experts, especially textiles and materials engineers, patternmakers, and graphic artists who circulate savoir-faire on every part of the industry, from materials production to retail.
We are involved at the interface between basic research and industry. Strictly speaking, our function is not to conduct pure research, but we fine tune and test prototypes from areas as diverse as 3D printing and smart clothing. We think up new textile materials or surface treatments, as well as new ways to manufacture and sell apparel. In a more general context, we help businesses choose the right investments.
In ready-to-wear, our primary mission is to further the way technology is perceived and used. The ready-to-wear sector has changed a lot and become aware of the competitive advantages of an increased use of technology.
How do you get fashion brands involved in your research?
The Institute is experiencing profound changes. Our vocation is to expand and orient business. To do that we assess innovations using small groups of industrial partners in order to share the risks, but this method limits communication between different technological sectors. I think it would be better to use bigger groups, like we did for the ‘Campagne Nationale de Mensurations des Français’ (French National Measurement Campaign). We must evolve to improve communications and serve the entire profession.
We want to better share tools like PLM (Product Life Management), which helps manage products, from the first idea to entering the market. Our objective is to pass on the skills needed to set up this tool and facilitate its ease, including simplified or partial versions for small companies.
What kind of future do you see in ten years for the French textile and apparel industries? What are the principle growth vectors and areas to explore in greater depth?
We observe that we talk about innovations so early in the process that the day those technologies are available in the market, they seem commonplace.
I’m a firm believer in the ‘mass customisation’ technique that makes co-designing and co-manufacturing possible. Integrating the end user in the value creation process, starting with the product design, will determine how our sectors evolve.
From now on, brands can and should keep suppliers and clients in mind during the product design process. However, there’s just one step between co-designing and co-manufacturing, and brands need to be careful to safeguard their industrial activity.
In fact, we may witness the development of spaces for making products or having them made. This isn’t a hypothesis from the far future, since on the American West Coast these spaces (spin offs from fashion cafés) already offer this kind of service. These spaces, which pool manufacturing equipment, started by making bike bags and now customise apparel.
In the future, brands should really offer customisation and limited editions. If they persist with large runs no matter what, they will self-destruct. Zara has integrated this concept; the brand produces volume but with a focus on limited editions.
Otherwise, and this is a major evolution, ‘green’ textiles have become very important in Europe. In France we had to wait for information on the risks tied to different incidents for green textiles to develop. It’s interesting to note that a brand like Carrefour communicates on the safety of its textile to reassure consumers. Lidle only sells Oeko-Tex® certified textiles. They’re even the French leader for these products. It’s not very surprising, since in Germany the green movement has been an integral part of the textile market for around ten years. France needs to catch up in this area.