With nearly half of all transactions now taking place through e-commerce formats, online fashion retail has certainly come a long way. From its tentative early beginnings in the 2000s to the subsequent proliferation of platforms like Amazon, Alibaba, and Shopify in the 2010s to the rise of dedicated fashion e-commerce platforms like Zalando, the retail landscape has shifted drastically.
Parallel to these trends, consumer preferences have also evolved, creating a space for a growing spectrum of niche brands that adeptly harnessed the power of personalisation and hyper-segmentation through social media channels to captivate consumer attention.
According to insights from McKinsey & Company, the demand for personalised shopping experiences reached new heights, with over 70% of consumers expecting brands to anticipate their needs and tailor their products to individual preferences. However, despite their best efforts, fashion manufacturing has until relatively recently, been slower to adapt.
Recognizing this shift as early as 2016, MAS Holdings launched FLEX, an innovative manufacturing model designed to offer agility and adaptability to brands. Initially focusing on technological advancements in design, MAS Holdings made a substantial leap forward in 2023 by integrating manufacturing processes into the FLEX ecosystem.
Unlike traditional setups, FLEX is specifically designed to cater to the needs of emerging niche brands, particularly those attracting Gen Y and Gen Z consumers. It empowers these brands to maximise on their creativity, explore a wide range of products, and experiment with smaller, more diverse order quantities.
“Across MAS, we have some incredible examples of sophisticated manufacturing capability that meets the scale, quality, and sustainability standards demanded by the world’s largest brands. However, such production models run counter to the requirements of emerging niche brands, whose founders are often the driving force of the brand and are intimately engaged in every aspect of production. They thrive on the ability to experiment and develop limited production runs at unprecedented speed. FLEX is our best response to this new opportunity,” Shehan Ferdinandis, director of Digital Business at MAS, said.
Offering a one-stop manufacturing solution that enables brands to bring their ideas to life with minimal restrictions on order size or product variety, FLEX promises unmatched agility in apparel manufacturing. It is combined with the same MAS standards on sustainable, ethical production and sophisticated technical capabilities from design to delivery.
With decades of industry expertise, MAS Holdings offers digital brands comprehensive design support, development, sourcing, and quality assurance services tailored to their specific needs. Utilizing the latest technologies in 3D design software, co-creation platforms, and raw material solutions, FLEX streamlines the product development process, enabling brands to experiment with styles, fabrics, and customization seamlessly.
Moreover, with the FLEXibility of low minimum order volumes and rapid lead times, reduced from the conventional 12-18 months to just several weeks, FLEX empowers brands to quickly iterate and bring products to market. From intimate wear to activewear, the FLEX model offers a diverse range of products, including bras, bralettes, briefs, boxers, sports bras, leggings, tanks, t-shirts, and shorts, to name a few core product capabilities.
Apart from manufacturing, FLEX also offers end-to-end logistics services to ensure smooth delivery of goods to consumers worldwide. With global partnerships for freight movement and duty clearance in place, brands have a range of shipping options at their disposal, including Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) services and direct-to-doorstep delivery. This extensive logistics assistance enables brands to concentrate on their core activities while FLEX manages the intricacies of goods movement and distribution.
With over a dozen brands across the US, EU, and Australia already leveraging FLEX, MAS is keen to partner with brands specialising in active and intimate wear segments to explore this opportunity to improve their product & sourcing strategy.
“The overarching goal of FLEX is to empower digital brands with the speed, agility, and 360-degree support they require from a Sourcing Partner”, affirmed Shazri Hameed, lead customer strategist – MAS Intimates FLEX.
As the fashion industry continues to evolve, FLEX stands as a multi-tiered solution, allowing brands to navigate complexities, innovate boldly, and thrive amidst dynamic market demands.
For more information regarding FLEX, contact shehanf@masholdings.com (Shehan Ferdinandis – Director of Digital Business).