Tommy Hilfiger opts for a virtual solution

Approving a design idea is an arduous task when your offices are spread around the globe. This inconvenience was the price of success for fashion house Tommy Hilfiger until, that is, it teamed up with BT and Tandberg to install a bespoke HD videoconferencing system.

The potential benefits of well-designed videoconferencing were obvious to Tommy Hilfiger’s management. It meant fewer hours spent flying around the world, lower carbon emissions, a more efficient workflow and greater, more instantaneous, input in decision-making.

‘Tommy Hilfiger has always been a trendsetter, now further illustrated by its innovative approach to virtual design and collaboration,’ says Fredrik Halvorsen, senior vice-president, TelePresence Technology Group, Cisco. ‘Tommy Hilfiger has recognised that high-quality telepresence can make its processes faster and more effective, delivering a distinct competitive advantage.’

The clothing company laid out its brief to BT and Tandberg – which became part of the newly formed Cisco TelePresence Technology Group in April this year – to provide Hilfiger’s international offices with virtual fitting rooms that would allow immediate global ‘in-person’ collaboration between Hilfiger’s designers and its manufacturing facilities. The system connects offices in Amsterdam, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo, with more sites expected to follow suit.

Innovative connections

The project replicates the experience of being in a fitting room with designers, models, manufacturers and advisers, who need to examine every aspect of the apparel, working to bring it to market faster. Erik Swart, country manager for Tandberg, says: ‘This is the first virtual fitting room, or catwalk if you will, in the industry.’

‘This technology is not just for board rooms and executives anymore. More and more, we are delivering systems to connect people at all levels and help increase competitive advantage.’

The virtual fitting rooms were based on BT’s unified communications video set-up, coupled with Cisco’s Tandberg technology. Add-ons such as mobile cameras and recording facilities allowed the design teams – in Amsterdam and New York – to collaborate faster and more effectively with the manufacturing team, based in Hong Kong.

‘Our selection criteria was quality, reliability and price. Quality means fast (no latency), high availability and secure networks. We also wanted HD video and audio, a web portal for users to manage their own meetings and online help,” says Mike Day, chief information officer for Tommy Hilfiger.

Working environments

With instant collaborations across the globe now a reality, Hilfiger had to foster a new working environment across its international offices and familiarise staff with the technology. ‘Most of our people are using videoconferencing for the first time,’ says Day. ‘They are used to travelling to meetings or having conference calls, so it is quite a change of culture.’

Teams can now discuss the development of the collection without having to take long-distance flights. For Bas Burger, chief executive of BT Benelux, it is a good example of where sustainability and cost-savings go hand-in-hand. He says: ‘This system will significantly lower carbon emissions. We understand that sustainability is not an altruistic activity. To sustain the business, investments need to show return.’

A crucial technological advance for Hilfiger, which made the project possible, was the ability to stream HD-quality content. The design house uses mobile cameras to focus on details of a particular garment. ‘If you are reviewing and making decisions about a design, you need HD-quality imaging. It’s an advantage because it shows as much detail as you need to see,’ says Day.

A bonus for Hilfiger is that the system is speeding up the design process because it enables people to meet on an ‘as-required’ basis rather than a pre-arranged travel plan. Tandberg’s Swart says: ‘Telepresence is being used much more widely in retail for internal communications and, as with Hilfiger, to improve a retailer’s supply chain productivity.’

Burger adds: ‘The recent interruptions to international travel due to the Icelandic volcano’s ash cloud saw a 35 per cent increase in demand for conferencing services, 20 per cent of which was for videoconferencing. Businesses are increasingly interested in having an alternative that is ‘always on time’ and not reliant on airlines or other means of travel for a face-to-face meeting.

‘With the Hilfiger install it was, as always, a challenge to get all components, including hardware, software, communications and user interface, delivered in a timely manner across the globe. But this is not the first time we have deployed telepresence technology.’

Despite these advances, Hilfiger’s Day admits that face-to-face is still alive and well. ‘We are aware that people still need to meet. Travel is necessary so that people can meet and get to know each other outside of formal meetings,’ he adds.

Videoconferencing has allowed the fashion brand to bring project teams and experts together more often and at lower costs. The fashion industry is shortening design and production times, hence reducing time to market. Telepresence has reached reliability and quality levels standards that mean it can improve information flow and immediate feedback, allowing development teams to work faster, as Tommy Hilfiger is demonstrating.

KIT LIST

- Two of Cisco’s Tandberg Telepresence T3 systems (in Amsterdam and New York) Cisco’s Telepresence T1 systems

- Three customised ‘virtual fitting rooms’ based on the Telepresence T1 in Amsterdam, New York and Hong Kong

- Desktop telepresence units, supporting infrastructure (such as recording facilities)

- BT’s One Source for Tandberg