The DPC Outlook with Chelsea Snyder of Kalypso

Released in The Interline’s DPC Report 2024, this executive interview is one of a nine-part series that sees The Interline quiz executives from major DPC companies on the evolution of 3D and digital product creation tools and workflows, and ask their opinions on what the future holds for the the extended possibilities of digital assets.

For more on digital product creation in fashion, download the full DPC Report 2024 completely free of charge and ungated.

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In a difficult climate for fashion (and retail in general) new and ongoing investments in tech and talent-intensive initiatives like digital product creation can be harder to justify. Based on your research, which took a new approach this year, do you believe the business case for 3D / DPC is strong enough? And how is that business case evolving to meet a changing industry? 

We received some great insight into the evolution of the business case for 3D/DPC through this year’s research. We adopted an interview approach for gathering data vs. surveying our audience, allowing us to capture a more accurate picture of digital adoption maturity across brands. Through these interviews, we could “look under the hood” to see what was genuinely working and where brands still faced obstacles. According to our research, the benefits of 3D/DPC are clear, but brands need to be tactical and take a holistic approach to see the real results.

I believe the business case for DPC is stronger than ever. Through digital, retail brands are finding success by reducing samples, saving time in the development stage, and as a result, reaching their customers quickly with new fresh products in more compelling ways. 

The key though, is that the value of DPC lies not in implementing a single solution, but in creating efficiencies and insights across every stage of product creation. Organizations achieving the greatest ROI share three key characteristics: 

1. Implement comprehensive KPI measurement frameworks
2. Develop clear value realization plans
3. Ensure digital tools integrate seamlessly across the product creation process

When responding to the challenges brands may face in building a DPC business case, it’s important to set a prioritized roadmap aligned with specific business challenges, identify the necessary resources and stakeholders, and establish a strong governance model. This foundation ensures not just successful implementation, but measurable, sustainable value creation that justifies the investment even in challenging market conditions.

The extended business case for DPC also goes far beyond the core design and visualisation tools – relying on brands having the support structure, the culture, the skills, the libraries, and the investment mindset to successfully scale. What does your research suggest it’s going to look like to resource and implement those things in 2025?

Our research indicates that successful DPC scaling in 2025 will require a three-pillar approach: robust digital asset management, comprehensive skill development, and strategic organizational change management.

First, brands must strategically evaluate their product creation assets by evaluating complexity, reusability, and component types. This assessment forms the foundation for building efficient digital libraries that scale. The key is not just digitizing assets but structuring them to enable streamlined workflows and earlier visualization in the development process.

Second, while DPC tools continue to become more intuitive, the skills gap remains a critical challenge. Successful organizations are investing in multi-faceted learning ecosystems that include:

• Comprehensive documentation including SOPs and digital quality standards
• Structured training programs aligned with brand-specific workflows
• Centralized knowledge repositories that evolve with technological advances
• Accessible peer-led support networks

Third, and perhaps most crucial, is the organizational change management framework. Our research consistently shows that brands achieving the greatest success have dedicated OCM teams that focus on user adoption, continuous improvement, and cultural transformation. These teams create an environment where users are equipped not only to learn new tools but foster innovation and evolve workflows that become second nature.

Industry collaboration will play an increasingly important role in 2025.  The most successful organizations will be those that combine internal capability building with external knowledge sharing to create sustainable, scalable DPC programs. Networks like the 3D Retail Coalition (3D.RC) are also an excellent forum for brands and educational institutions tackling the DPC challenges we face today. By sharing experiences and best practices, we accelerate the learning curve for the entire industry.

Kalypso’s findings this year also highlighted the importance of automation, with business transformation teams citing it as one of the most critical returns on investing in digital product creation. How do you believe fashion companies can make automation a realistic goal for the near and mid-term, and where do you see it delivering the biggest return?

Automation is top of mind for brands as they continue to be expected to move at a faster pace with less traditional resources. Our research shows successful automation strategies focus on high-impact achievable targets. 

In the retail footwear and apparel industry we’ve identified four key categories where automation delivers the strongest returns: 

1. 3D Asset Creation: automating silhouette stitch-ups, color/art application, and marketing asset generation
2. Asset Deployment: streamlining DAM workflows, render pipelines, and consumer testing processes
3. Asset Enrichment: enforcing virtual quality standards and automating asset attribution
4. Specification Translation: generating cut patterns, tech packs, and costing estimates

To make automation achievable, businesses need a clear understanding of their foundational capabilities. It’s essential to assess data infrastructure maturity and current system integrations to determine which automation goals are most viable. From our experience in implementing hundreds of automation solutions across the industry, a prioritized set of high impact use cases delivers a rapid ROI -often within weeks of deployment.

A prioritized set of high impact use cases delivers a rapid ROI -often within weeks of deployment.

The biggest returns come from automating repetitive data-intensive tasks that require significant manual effort. For example, render pipelines can reduce asset creation time greatly while also ensuring consistency. When selecting automation targets, it’s important to balance the technical feasibility with gains that foster increased adoption and digital transformation.

One of the biggest hurdles when it comes to wide-scale adoption of DPC is a lack of standardisation and interoperability. For 3D to really take root, digital tools and assets need to work together across complex organisations – and while the vision to realise this kind of compatibility is there, the speed of progress is perhaps slower than some companies expect. Where are you seeing the most success here? 

While interoperability remains one of the most complex challenges in scaling DPC we’re seeing success lies not only in technical infrastructure but also in strong organizational alignment. 

Successes are emerging from brands that have established robust foundational frameworks, for example:

• Standardized SOPs and naming conventions that create a common language across teams
• Comprehensive data management practices that ensure consistency from concept to customer
• Clear virtual quality standards that translate across tools and teams
• BOMs and tech packs that maintain data integrity throughout the product lifecycle

Kalypso collaborates closely with clients, their global supplier networks, and the 3DRC to drive standardization and advance best practices across the industry. For example, the 3DRC Education Committee has developed a Certification Matrix to help brands and educational institutions standardize role base competencies. Additionally, the 3DRC Innovation Committee is working to create universal digital fabric standards that benefit both brands and mills. Through these initiatives, we are fostering meaningful progress in standardization and interoperability.

Interoperability isn’t just about technology; it’s equally about people and processes. Alignment between design, development, and technical teams is critical to ensure smooth implementation and adoption, even across complex global networks.

There’s a lot of talk about AI being the next piece of the 3D puzzle, alongside its wider role in enterprise technology. What’s your take on whether brands can realistically incorporate AI into their DPC strategies in a way that protects creativity and streamlines work without creating new frustrations?

Much like the initial excitement around 3D-authoring tools in product development, GenAI has quickly gained attention for its potential to streamline workflows and boost creativity. Effectively integrating GenAI requires a realistic understanding of its capabilities and how it can enhance things like business processes, boost efficiency, and foster creativity and customer satisfaction. 

We’re seeing realistic, immediate value in several key areas:

• Automating repetitive tasks like data entry and product description generation
• Accelerating early-stage ideation and concept visualization
• Streamlining asset management and metadata tagging
• Enhancing pattern adaptation and grading processes

The key to protecting creativity while driving efficiency is to understand AI’s role as a tool to enhance rather than replace human expertise. The following are critical to successfully implement AI:

• Clear scope definition based on available data and specific business needs

• Dedicated technical teams that can customize AI solutions to existing workflows
• Comprehensive training programs that help users understand both capabilities and limitations

The key to unlocking the value of AI is understanding its true capabilities. AI’s quality depends on input data and user expertise. AI doesn’t do the work for the user. We recommend starting with focused use cases that have clear ROI potential and building from there. This approach allows organizations to maintain creative control and eliminate misconceptions that could potentially cause friction in the creative process.

To realise the long-term vision for a complete “digital twin,” it should be possible for any decision across the extended product lifecycle to be made based on a digital representation of the physical asset, with total trust. Which of those decisions do you think meet that high bar today? Which do you believe has the furthest distance to travel? And what can brands do to avoid a pushback towards physical sampling? 

The journey to total trust in digital twins varies across organizations and product creation decisions. Currently, we see the highest trust in visualizing artwork placements and scaling, and detail positioning.  These processes traditionally can be quite daunting. By using 3D, designers have seen immediate benefits through faster iterations, more accurate size grading and reduced communication cycles between design and production teams.

I still see the widest trust gap in exclusively fitting garments in 3D, especially when dealing with new or unfamiliar materials, patterns, fit models, or complex constructions. Despite significant advancements in fabric simulation and avatar sophistication, users often struggle to trust something they haven’t experienced in real life. This will improve as users experience 3D and see the tools evolve and become more robust.

To prevent regression to physical sampling, organizations need to focus on three key areas:

1. Workflow Reimagination: Rather than digitizing existing processes, successful brands are fundamentally reimagining their product creation workflow for the digital age. This means establishing new decision points that leverage digital capabilities while acknowledging where physical validation adds genuine value.
2. Trust Building Through Validation: The most effective approach combines side-by-side physical and digital comparison during the transition period. This creates a feedback loop that builds confidence in digital assets while helping teams understand where digital tools actually outperform traditional methods.
3. Organizational Infrastructure: Success requires a robust support framework including:

• Structured training programs that evolve with technology capabilities
• Clear RACI frameworks that define digital decision-making authority
• Integration with industry standards groups like the 3DRC to leverage collective learning
• Leadership commitment to digital transformation even when challenges arise

The key to achieving total trust lies not in eliminating all physical samples, but in creating an environment where digital becomes the default and physical sampling serves as validation only where truly necessary.