In an industry where the distance between a designer’s sketch and a production-ready garment can often feel like a chasm, Lectra is providing the digital bridge. Through its industry-standard CAD solutions, Modaris and Gerber AccuMark, the company is redefining how fashion brands balance aesthetic integrity with manufacturing precision.
Here, John Brearley, president, Americas at Lectra, explains how 2D/3D synchronization is slashing time-to-market, the critical importance of data integrity in a globalized supply chain, and how moving cost and fabric estimations to the earliest stages of development is fostering a more sustainable, profitable future for fashion.
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Sourcing Journal: Modaris and AccuMark is often described as the industry standard for patternmaking. How does its 3D virtual prototyping capability specifically bridge the gap between a creative design vision and a production-ready pattern, and what is the typical impact on a brand’s time-to-market?
John Brearley: Modaris and Gerber AccuMark support the full patternmaking workflow, from pattern creation to 3D production‑ready prototypes. With 3D capability that allows patternmakers to create realistic 3D fit prototypes directly from 2D industrial patterns, using material libraries and configurable or imported 3D imported 3D avatars/mannequins.
Lectra’s CAD solutions enable brands to translate their creative intent into manufacturable products, which is a core challenge. Lectra’s white paper on the “Challenges of Product Development” highlights the historical gap between conceptual design and industrial execution, where creative decisions are often made without full visibility into fit, construction constraints or production feasibility.
By combining 2D pattern engineering with 3D visualization, Modaris and AccuMark enable patternmakers to validate volumes, proportions, fit and construction logic before physical sampling and production, helping to turn design visions into viable, manufacturable products.
This 2D/3D synchronization enables patternmakers to have fewer misinterpretations between design and production; reduce iterations and oversampling; visually validate and adjust fit, volumes, and construction; and make faster decisions earlier in the development cycle, reducing time-to-market
SJ: In a global supply chain where different partners may use various CAD systems, how does the latest version of AccuMark and Modaris ensure data integrity during file exchanges, and why is this compatibility a game-changer for collaboration with external manufacturers?
J.B.: Interoperability between CAD systems is a key challenge in global fashion supply chains, particularly in a global context where multiple CAD environments coexist across brands, suppliers, and manufacturing partners. To address this, the latest versions of Modaris and Gerber AccuMark are fully compatible, enabling fashion brands to work and co-develop with partners using other CAD systems. It helps to improve communication, boost productivity and reduce inaccuracies associated with pattern file conversion.
SJ: Modaris Expert and Gerber AccuMark leverage advanced rule‑based and automated grading logic to automate grading and pattern adjustments. Can you explain how this intelligent automation fosters better collaboration between patternmakers and production teams to ensure consistent fit across all sizes?
J.B.: Sizing inconsistency occurs both across markets and between brands. Each company maps numerical sizes to its own measurement tables, so a size 8 in one brand may correspond to a size 4 in another—even within the same country. Fit is further complicated by morphology. Brands often provide multiple fits—standard, athletic, petite, tall, or plus-size—to address different body shapes. While this approach increases inclusivity, it multiplies sizing variations, making cross-brand and cross-market consistency a persistent challenge as well as a structural business and sustainability issue.
By embedding automated workflows directly into the CAD environment and advanced pattern tools, the latest version of Modaris and AccuMark contributes to smoother collaboration between patternmaking and production teams from a shared, standardized logic. Pattern changes are more predictable and controlled, which helps ensure that patterns handed off to production reflect the intended fit and quality across sizes, while reducing rework and misunderstandings.
SJ: Beyond just pattern design, Modaris and AccuMark now support fabric consumption estimation and early cost visibility. How does providing these insights early in the development phase empower collaborative decision-making between design, finance, and sustainability teams?
J.B.: Material choice in alignment with cost and availability is often considered too late in the product development process, leading to inefficiencies, overdevelopment and waste. By integrating fabric consumption estimation and cost monitoring directly into the development phase, both Modaris and AccuMark help embed data‑driven decision‑making much earlier in the process.
This shared visibility enables cross‑functional teams to collaborate more effectively. Development teams can assess feasibility without compromising creative intent. Finance teams gain earlier cost visibility, improving margin control and sustainability and sourcing teams can evaluate material impact, availability and waste implications.
Providing access to this information earlier breaks down silos and supports more balanced trade‑offs between desirability, feasibility, profitability and environmental impact—ultimately leading to better products and more responsible development practices.
SJ : Are there any other Lectra solutions that companies need to consider to optimize their workforce?
J.B.: Modaris is part of Lectra’s broader connected and digital model combining software, equipment, data and services to help fashion brands operate with speed, precision and adaptability. Lectra’s unique offering is built around five strategic pillars that structure the fashion value chain: create, manufacture and market, supported by collaboration and traceability. Lectra’s solutions support each of these pillars individually while connecting all stages of the garment lifecycle through centralized data and integrated workflows.
While Modaris and Gerber Accumark are part of the create pillar, at the heart of this transformation is also Valia Fashion integrated within the manufacture pillar. As a cloud‑based revolutionary solution designed to simplify apparel production, Valia Fashion boosts productivity using existing equipment and processes from any vendor, minimizing the need for upfront investment. By connecting all cutting room components, it streamlines and automates operations today while supporting scalable growth for tomorrow. To keep manufacturers ready for any situation, Valia Fashion integrates the latest Industry 4.0 technologies, enhancing agility, precision and resilience in a constantly shifting market.
Once production is completed, Retviews and Neteven, Lectra’s fashion‑native solutions for market intelligence and marketplace management integrated within the market pillar, empower brands to refine strategies across their value chain—from assortment planning to pricing, stock efficiency and digital expansion.
As part of the collaboration pillar, Kubix Link PLM solution acts as a central hub that unites internal creation, manufacturing and marketing departments, while also extending that collaboration to a brand’s global network of suppliers, subcontractors and partners. It helps fashion and textile companies organize and manage their collections while increasing operational agility. To complement this seamless collaboration, TextileGenesis introduces a vital layer of transparency and traceability to the garment production process.
By connecting creation, manufacturing and marketing in one digital ecosystem, Lectra enables fashion companies to work faster, smarter, and more sustainably. Marketing insights inform creation. Design and development teams translate creative ideas into viable products. Manufacturing data shapes future planning. Teams collaborate in real time, making decisions based on shared, accurate information.
This article first appeared in Sourcing Journal’s technology report. To download the full report, CLICK HERE.
