04 Apr New Alvanon Fit Studio at FC Designer Workspace

Alvanon to open new London Fit Studio in collaboration with leading UK manufacturing and design enterprise Fashion-Enter Ltd.

Alvanon, the world’s leading sizing and fit technology company, is delighted to announce a new UK-based Alvanon Fit Studio in collaboration with Fashion-Enter Ltd and its learning and studio facility–the FC Designer Workspace. 

Located in Islington, London, inside Fashion-Enter’s FC Designer Workspace, the new Alvanon Fit Studio provides access to the most advanced apparel sizing and fit tools for both emerging and established brands.

Inside the Fit Studio, designers and pattern makers for both emerging and established brands  have the technology they need to test their garments on full form physical mannequins in a safe and private space, ensuring their collections achieve the best possible fit for their target demographic.

Janice Wang, CEO, Alvanon explained: “Alvanon has always supported the creative and sustainable approach in which Jenny and the Fashion-Enter team work. By being in the FC Designer Workspace, we can bring our advanced technical sizing and fit tools to emerging designers, as well as showcase the practical sampling and production capabilities of Fashion-Enter’s exemplary manufacturing enterprise to our established retailer and brand clients.”

Featuring a full line-up of Alvanon’s European Standard fit forms* (available in men’s, women’s, and children’s), the studio can be rented by brands looking to test their fit standards, or used by designers seeking forms that represent realistic body shapes. The Fit Studio will also support Fashion-Enter’s continuing programme of technical skills training, development and education.

Fashion-Enter Ltd CEO Jenny Holloway added: “We have been using Alvanon forms for many years as they provide the accuracy of fit we need both for teaching and commercial garment manufacturing. Alvanon has always been very supportive of our learners and new brands donating forms for our Stitching Academy in 2018 and we are delighted that we can now offer a state of the art Fit Studio to our FC Designer Workspace. This is brilliant news for everyone involved at the FCDW.“

Alvanon has Fit Studios in Dusseldorf, Hong Kong, New York and Shanghai. The company has worked with Fashion-Enter Ltd on previous occasions and both are aligned to providing support, growth and opportunity to those that need it in the fashion sector.

FEL has worked closely with Alvanon for many years following FEL’s CEO Jenny Holloway meeting the CEO Janice Wang at a Drapers Conference in 2008. In August 2014 both Janice and Jenny were involved in a re-shoring conference and Alvanon donated fit mannequins to the Stitching Academy enabling their learners to create toiles and patterns on the most accurate fit mannequins in the world today! This was further reviewed by Fashion United.

In 2018 Alvanon produced their State of the Skills in the Apparel Industry report and highlighted the importance of fit and the mass returns that were occurring due to alack of skills and knowledge on pattern making and out of date mannequins for fit sessions. Alvanon overhauled their fit mannequins using the latest body fit data available. The full article is here but it was interesting to note Janice’s main comments:

“As the apparel industry begins to recognise and implement digitalisation as a way of delivering on speed, customisation and transparency, it is revealing gaps in the specialised skills set of its workforce,” explained Janice. “Our survey findings conclude that failure to respond to skill shortages will result in the generalisation of poor market practices and adversely impact business performance across the supply chain.”

She added: “Improving the apparel industry by upping its skills is, ultimately, a collective responsibility shared between all players in the value chain and the individual professionals themselves. This survey clearly shows where we need to start and that we need to start immediately.”

In 2021 the collaboration between FEL and Alvanon was further cemented by the opening of the Fashion Technology Academy in Leicester where Alvanon donated mannequins for the new centre and today FEL is proud to announce a new collaboration whereby the designers of the FC Designer Workspace and the learners of the Stitching Academy will be able to use a new styled Fit Studio based at Durham Road.

To read the full press release please click to download:

To hire out the new mannequins at Durham Road and arrange a fit session for your brand please email hawi@fashion-enter.com 

To access the Fit Studio please contact: hawi@fashion-enter.com