The fashion industry needs more automation to reduce the many mundane tasks scattered throughout. So Tailored created a measuring app called Capture. Simply put, it measures clothes. It’s been a while since we’ve done a deep dive, so we’re going to take this opportunity to discuss this unique measurement app for clothes. Below are the sections we’ll discuss:
- Where the idea for Capture came from
- What’s needed to use a measurement app for clothes
- What garment types Capture will measure
- What does Capture cost and how do I get it
Capture Is Born
One of the most time consuming, manual tasks required at all levels of fashion is measuring finished garments. Not only the measuring, but also what comes along with it – recording the data. Either on paper or on a computer. It doesn’t matter which segment of fashion you’re in. Whether it’s resale, made to measure, or manufacturing – the team at Tailored developed a tool to do it all with the snap of a photo.
Capture was born during a terrible day shopping for jeans. The question that sparked the idea came from one of Tailored’s co-founders, “why can’t I find jeans that fit like the ones in my closet?”
Capture is an app that measures laid-flat clothing. It performs this task different than all other measuring apps you’ve seen. The market is filled with apps that require users to draw lines on a digital photo or trace the item being measured with their phone. Capture is way simpler, just snap a photo and it does the rest.
Capture’s measuring style was modeled after observing the manual processes performed by technical designers. The system uses advanced machine learning and computer vision to analyze garments in photographs. Capture locates a garment’s critical measure points and provides those measurements to the user. It does this all in under five seconds.
What’s Required To Use A Measurement App For Clothes
If your mobile device has a camera, you have just about everything that’s needed to use Capture. The one additional thing required is the reference card. The reference card is a pattern of black circles required to be placed near the garment when a photo is taken. As you see in the images above and below, the card is small – about the size of a standard business card.
The reference card is necessary for accuracy. It enables Capture to determine how far away a user is when they take their photo. Without the reference card the system simply will not work. The card can be printed on regular paper using any household printer.
Photo-Measure A Garment In 3 Steps
What’s awesome about this unique measurement app for clothes is it doesn’t add steps or time to your process. It does the complete opposite.
Step 1. Position your garment
Step 2. Photograph your garment
Step 3. View measurements
What Types of Businesses Use Capture
The original purpose for Capture was to assist consumers when shopping online. Users could snap photos of well fitting clothes they already owned and Capture would match them with items with a similar fit. All based on dimensions of course, not tag size.
Though as the technology improved and the user experience got simpler, the team knew Capture could do more than help consumers.
Today Capture is primarily used by businesses interested in reducing or eliminating measuring and data entry tasks. Specifically the following types of businesses:
- Fashion resellers and platforms
- Online tailors and made-to-measure
If you’re in a business where clothing measurements are required, Capture may be a solution for you.
What Benefits Do Businesses Receive
There are two distinct benefits realized by businesses that use Capture. The first is eliminating the need to measure garments by hand. The average time savings is 50% versus manual measuring, with some experiencing an 80% reduction in time spent on this dreaded task.
The second most prominent benefit is the elimination of manual data entry. When listing a garment for sale online, you must manually enter measurement data. With Capture this is no longer necessary, data flows directly from the app to your listing. Thus measuring and data entry are handled with just one photo. There are a few ways this process occurs, which we discuss more below.
Eco Quality Clothing is in the top 1 percent of eBay sellers. They have been a Capture client since the app was first released. They list anywhere from 2,000 to 7,000 garments each month, each one scanned with the Capture app. In this video they share a glimpse into how they use Capture and how it’s helping them.
What Kind Of Mobile Device Can I Use
Capture has been used successfully on devices going back to the iPhone 6. The 6 was released in September 2014, almost 8 years ago at the time of this writing. So it’s safe to say if your device is newer than that, you’re good to go.
What Kind Of Backgrounds Photograph Best
Capture does not have many requirements for usage. You can even vary how you lay out your garments before photographing them (though there are recommended best practices).
The Capture customer support team receives occasional emails asking what’s the best type of background to use. The answer sounds something like this:
- Photograph garments on a hard, flat surface (not your bed or couch)
- Background should be a solid color
- The background color should contrast with the color of your garment
What Garment Types Will Capture Measure
Capture is able to measure most garment types being sold online today. As with all things tech, the team at Tailored is always adding on. The best way they know what to add is by listening to their customers. The team will often send communications to current customers asking which features or garment types they’d like introduced next.
Below is a list of garment types currently available for measuring, and what’s coming soon:
- Tops
- Bottoms
Future:
- Dresses
- Skirts
- Full length
- Non-apparel (purses)
How To Arrange A Garment For Photo-measuring
You’d be right if you’re thinking there must be a certain way to lay out garments in preparation for photo-measuring. Though not an absolute requirement, there are recommended best practices.
The recommended garment layouts ensure Capture records the most measurements with one photo.
As you will notice, garments are not simply laid flat. Though Capture will attempt to measure a garment if it has no folds. Tops and bottoms both have recommended folds in to help the Capture system locate the critical measure locations. Such as the underarm seam and crotch seam. Numerous measurements are derived from these locations and to obtain the most accurate measurements, it’s recommended to perform these folds before taking a measurement photo.
What’s Up With The Green Lines
Each photo in this article shows green lines on the garment. These lines exist for the sole purpose of displaying where the garment was measured.
These annotated images are beneficial for both Capture’s customers and online shoppers. If you’re a user of the Capture app, you can instantly see if the garment was measured properly.
If you’re a shopper, you’ll know exactly where the garment was measured and what the measurements are. Many online apparel sellers will use the annotated images as one of their listing photos.
Create size guides for customers
The photo above is an example of a size guide created within the Capture app. This takes providing online shoppers with fit-data to the next level. Now instead of just telling buyers the tag size, sellers can share a helpful photo that includes measurements.
What Measurements Does Capture…Capture
Depending on the garment, there can be upwards of 70 specific measurements needed during the manufacturing process. Though this is not the market Capture is after.
Capture specifically focuses on a garment’s critical measurements. These are the top five to ten measurements most important to fitting a garment to a human body. Our page on garment types and measurement data discusses this in more detail.
Out of the box, the Capture app measures the following:
For tops:
- Shoulder width
- Overall length
- Bust/chest
- Waist
- Bottom opening
For bottoms:
- Waist
- Front rise
- Hip/seat
- Thigh
- Inseam
- Leg opening
How Do I Receive The Measurements
We mentioned above measurement data flows directly from the app to wherever you need it to go. There are multiple ways measurement data makes its way from the app to you.
The first happens automatically every time a photo is taken. In addition to the Capture app, users receive private access to an admin portal. The admin portal is where users find a history of every garment they’ve photographed. From the portal, users can download images and measurement data in bulk for easy uploading to listings.
The second way data is accessed is immediately after each photo is taken. Capture guides users seamlessly through selecting the garment type they’d like to measure, to taking the photo, and on to reviewing their measurements.
At the review phase, users can perform any of the following additional actions if they so choose:
- Save measurements and garment photos to their device
- Email the data
- Create a size guide
The Measurement Editing Feature
There are times when technology is not 100 percent accurate. For this reason, the team added an extremely helpful feature within the Capture online portal. The ability to edit measurements after a photo is taken.
This short video shows how simple it is to review and edit measurements.
How Accurate Is It
After the question “Is there a free trial” (yes there is, click here to try it free for 14 days), the question we get most often is “How accurate is it?”
Similar to when humans perform measuring tasks, how accurate they are depends on many factors. Capture, like a tape measure, relies heavily on the user. Our customers find that most of the time Capture will measure to within 1/4 inch (.6 cm). Though we’ve found on many instances it will reach 1/8 inch accuracy (.3 cm).
Imperial and metric measurements
Capture is a global product. Hence measurement data for all garments is available in both US and Metric.
How To Integrate Capture Into Your Business
The answer to this question lies within the type of business you operate. Are you a home based reseller selling apparel on sites like Depop, Poshmark, eBay and Mercari? Are you a small to medium sized reseller operating out of a warehouse? Or maybe you’re a global resale platform. Capture integrates with businesses of all types and sizes.
Part-time reseller
The easiest way to get started using Capture is to subscribe to a monthly plan. All plans are month to month and are cancelable any time. The starter tier is for those who sell part time and want to reduce the time and effort they spend on listings.
Full-time reseller with a team
Resale teams with multiple colleagues performing measurements benefit greatly from a measurement app for clothes. Capture’s middle and upper tiers would apply where up to three licenses are available.
Global resale or made-to-measure business
Enterprise integrations and pricing are available. Capture is highly customizable and can be integrated into web and native apps, as well as via API.
Contact us here to discuss the option that will work best for your business.
How Much Does Capture Cost
Plans start at just $15 per month. If you have any additional questions as to if Capture will be right for you, contact us via our chat or email us.