Fibre2Fashion Magazine June 2018 June 2018 | Page 73

portion, the larger product range is in
women’s products focusing on higher
quality fabric finishes. The men’s
underwear segment is focused on
functional fabrics and added support for
a better fit.
And the latest collection of Hela Casual?
The casualwear collection continues to
provide affordable products in the kids’
range with a focus on back-to-school
clothing. A new range was introduced
for women’s bottoms using space dye
technology in the fabrication.
What is the retail presence of Hela
Intimates and Hela Casual?
Products manufactured by Hela Clothing
can be found in all major retail stores
in the US and UK, such as Macy’s,
Nordstrom, TJ Maxx, Costco, Tesco, etc.
What are the latest technological
innovations used at your units?
A number of semi-automated machines
are being used in the manufacturing
lines—ranging from waistband elastic
cutting and placing to folding and
packing. We also focus on automating the
information flow in production modules
at the quality checking points by using
touchscreen-based input devices. This
information is then visualised in real time
for better decisionmaking and error-
proofing.
For designing, we are equipped with
industry standard CAD software and
tools.
The lines between innerwear and outerwear are blurring, given how athleisure and certain intimates such as bralettes which
are considered to be innerwear are also worn as outerwear in a massive boudoir-dressing trend which has caught on.
What factors do you keep in mind while designing
the garments?
There are three areas to consider when designing.
The first is asking ourselves who the brand’s iconic
customer is, and the kind of lifestyle they lead. Second,
a brand caters to customers across the world and
therefore, the product should cater to that unique
identity and global marketspace. Finally, it should be
based on the latest trends of the existing demand in
the market.
Tell us about the latest collection of Hela Intimates.
The latest collection is focused mostly around
underwear and sleepwear. Out of the underwear
How do you ensure the quality of
garments?
Quality is embedded in our development
and production process. Our quality
assurance happens at the fabric mill, where fabric
technologists develop and produce the fabric in
collaboration with the mill adhering to our customers’
quality levels. Quality assurance checks are carried
out at the GRN point for all raw materials (fabric, trims,
elastics, thread and all other components), when
laying the fabric, after cutting the fabric, when sewing,
after sewing, and just before the goods are shipped to
the customer.
How scalable is customisation in mass production?
Scalability of customisation depends on a number
of variables. If it’s a simple digital print, that can be
scaled up with the use of advance printers available
JUNE 2018 FIBRE 2 FASHION |  73