Growing into the world’s largest digital fabric database company
Completing an integrated digital ecosystem connecting fashion design, production, and distribution.
CLO Virtual Fashion has acquired digital materials solutions company Swatchbook.
CLO Virtual Fashion, a global leader in 3D apparel design and visualization, has acquired Swatchbook, a digital material solutions company, strengthening its leadership in digital fabric solutions.
The two companies, which have been in a technology partnership since 2017, have reaffirmed their shared vision of ‘accelerating the digital transformation and 3D implementation of the fashion industry’ and have decided to integrate Swatchbook’s extensive material database into ▲3D design software (CLO), ▲digital asset management platform (CLO SET), and ▲fashion marketplace (CONNECT).
Swatchbook, a digital transformation solutions company for materials
Swatchbook, headquartered in California, USA, holds over 150,000 digital textile data items and serves brands and suppliers across North America, Europe, and Asia. With various material characteristics, such as weight, elasticity, and reflectivity, digitized, designers can explore and visualize materials anytime, anywhere, on any device. After the acquisition, all Swatchbook employees will join CLO’s global materials team, responsible for AI-based material development and platform advancement.
Simon Kim, Global CEO of CLO Virtual Fashion, stated, “This acquisition is an opportunity to further expand the digital fashion ecosystem that both companies have been pursuing. We will accelerate AI-based material technology to innovate the user experience.” Swatchbook co-founder Yazan Malkosh also emphasized, “Combining CLO’s 3D simulation capabilities with our material data will create a new standard for real-time connectivity across the entire fashion supply chain.”
With this, CLO has leaped forward to become the world’s largest digital fabric database company, completing the key puzzle of building an integrated digital ecosystem from design to production and distribution.
# CLO Accelerates Design’s Digital Transformation with Swatchbook Acquisition
CLO Virtual Fashion’s acquisition of Swatchbook will enable CLO to offer customers a wider range of material choices and exquisite design quality. By integrating Swatchbook’s global network of brands and suppliers into CLO’s existing platform ecosystem, CLO will gain access to a new customer base and distribution channels. Furthermore, this structural advantage will create an ecosystem that is difficult for competitors to replicate or enter, laying the foundation for CLO’s long-term influence across the industry.
Furthermore, this acquisition goes beyond simple business expansion and contributes to CLO’s sustainability and eco-friendly management strategy. The integration of digital material data and 3D design significantly reduces resource consumption and environmental pollution by reducing the physical sample production process and preventing fabric waste and overproduction. In particular, the high-quality, high-resolution material representation provided by Swatchbook can significantly improve the accuracy of CLO’s existing 3D simulations. Accurate demand forecasting and on-demand production through digitalization are becoming key tools for reducing unnecessary waste and achieving ESG management.
As a result, CLO’s acquisition of Swatchbook is expected to reshape the digital competitiveness landscape within the fashion industry, with multi-layered strategic benefits including technological synergies, expansion of the global supply chain, strengthening of market dominance, and realization of sustainable fashion.
Swatchbook’s introducing mix service
# Building a sustainable ecosystem, including shortening product launch cycles
Industry insiders and experts have various expectations and outlooks regarding this acquisition.
The fashion industry anticipates a synergy effect between accelerating digital transformation and design innovation, with positive outcomes expected in terms of expanding the use of sustainable materials and increasing efficiency throughout all stages of production. Collaboration based on real-time data and simulation results is expected to enhance communication between brands and supply chains, shorten product launch cycles, and significantly reduce costs.
Furthermore, from a global perspective, this acquisition is expected to strengthen CLO’s position in key fashion markets such as the US, China, and India. By enabling the expansion of services tailored to the industry characteristics and digitalization levels of each region, CLO has established a foundation for strategic expansion within the global fashion ecosystem.
Editor Yongjae Jeong [email protected]