PARIS — Say goodbye to energy-draining small-screen video conferencing. French startup La Vitre connects teams across multiple locations using human-sized screens that can be used for everything from trying on clothes to booking sales. Luxury brands such as Chanel have already introduced it.
The French fashion house introduced the new technology more than two years ago to foster interaction with ready-to-wear and knitwear design teams and suppliers from Normandy to Scotland to Italy, said co-founder Romuald.・Boulanger told WWD. Other major luxury brands have followed suit, he added.
Along with co-founders Anthony Vanier and Thierry Boucouin, he is looking forward to many more use cases for fashion, luxury and retail brands as he refines the functionality of the interface tool launched in 2019. are.
“We know there are a lot of jobs in the fashion industry and we don’t know everything, but based on our interactions with clients, this is a promising area for us and one where we can really add. We know we’re bringing value to our users,” Boulanger said.
“This tool has a wide range of uses, whether it’s connecting a workshop during the manufacturing stage, displaying the finished look of a model, custom fitting, or making one-on-one sales appointments with customers in-store,” he says. Masu. Added.
La Vitre plans to demonstrate the product at the Tech for Retail show, which opens in Paris on Tuesday. Previous appearances include the Viva Technology conference in Paris and the NRF Big Show convention in New York City.
During a presentation at Microsoft’s headquarters in Paris, Boulanger and Boucain demonstrated how La Vitre works. The touchscreen is designed to remain on at all times and is activated by knocking, like a glass door.
People on both sides then have a live exchange powered by various technologies, such as live translation with AI and close-up of product details, via a connected smartphone or Crystalbox from our partner Fosfor, which allows you to view the product at its actual size. You can do it. And 3D.
For example, while talking to an Italian manufacturer, a design team in Paris navigates dialog boxes, zooming in on fit models to demonstrate adjustments, dragging and dropping specs, sketches, and photos onto the screen and drawing annotations. It can be displayed instantly. Translate each person’s statement.
For example, a seamstress making adjustments for a haute couture client in China or the United States can connect directly to her atelier in Paris for live feedback, while a watchmaker in Geneva can update clients in the Middle East on the latest announcements. You can present the meeting live.
According to Boulanger, an internet connection speed of at least 5 Mbps (megabits per second) is required to ensure an optimal experience. He added that the camera settings can be adjusted according to the user’s needs.
“It’s not just, ‘Once we meet, that’s it.’ It’s, ‘What’s important to look for?'” he said. “You can tweak your camera settings to optimize your images and make them even sharper.”
Boulanger points to the example of Spanish smart clothing brand Sepia, which is also considering retail applications.
Keen to gauge local demand for wrinkle- and stain-resistant clothing, the label has installed a screen in a shopping gallery in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. This gallery is connected to the store in Madrid. Customers can now purchase remotely through payment platform W-HA, a subsidiary of another partner, Orange.
“It was originally going to be a demo, but it turned into a pop-up store,” he said.
La Vitre, a sister company of digital agency Ucaya, was initially born out of a need to bring together teams in Nantes and Paris. Boulanger is currently considering further applications in areas such as healthcare, training and events.
He envisions the opportunity to interact remotely with soccer stars on the sidelines of games or singers backstage at pop concerts.
La Vitre has showrooms in several French cities, as well as Monaco, Geneva, Montreal, Dallas and Atlanta, and plans to open a showroom in Toronto early next year.
The La Vitre kit, 86-inch screen and speaker bundle costs €500 per month and can be leased for a minimum term of 36 months, a company spokesperson said. The startup declined to provide revenue, but said it currently aims to have 300 screens in operation in the medium term.
