Welcome to New Industrial Order laboratory. Our lab is set up to develop and test design, manufacturing, delivery, re-use and recycling in the on demand manufacturing system.

N.I.O. collaborates with design- and research institutions and innovative companies to increase the system’s intelligence and to build bridges between education and industry.

 

The making of virtual knitwear... Simulating stretch, flexibility and drape of a seamless 3D knit is not as easy as it looks. But with some tricks involving Lectra, Clo3D and Cinema 4D we were able to create a virtual knit that behaves like the real

Virtual knitwear

Digital design saves energy and materials. The N.I.O. Knitwear Development Process aims to use virtual knitwear to

  • bring forth the highest quality 3D knitwear

  • save energy, materials and knit programming time

  • and reduce the number of physical samples made in the design phase

  • while providing ample space for experimentation in the creative process.

High quality visualizations of virtual knitwear help to optimize the collaboration between designers, product developers, knitwear labs and knitting manufacturers.

Projects & Publications

  • Practically Parametric. Research collaboration. The Girl and the Machine, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Fieldlab 3D Knit, Amsterdam Fashion Institute.

  • 3D Knitwear on Demand: Building blocks of Knitcode. Research collaboration. The Girl and the Machine, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Fieldlab 3D Knit, Amsterdam Fashion Institute.

How does production on demand change business models? What opportunies arise and what stands in the way of reaping the benefits?

Projects & Publications

  • “On-demand production of 3D printed knitwear – an alternative model for the textiles industry” by Wouter Smit. Master’s thesis. Global Business & Sustainability, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

On Demand Business

Closing the knitwear loop

The N.I.O. knitwear supply chain is focused on waste prevention. The goal is to enable fast replenishment—restocking missing sizes and colors within one week to eliminate overstock and reduce returns between brands and stores.

The approach integrates a deposit system with product tracking that follows garments throughout their entire lifecycle, from initial ordering to post-consumer phase. Central to this vision is incorporating post-consumer recycled yarn into the supply chain, creating a truly circular system where nothing goes to waste.

Projects & Publications

  • “On-Demand Knitting and Recycling: an LCA study investigating an integrated solution for sustainable woollen jumpers” by M.L. Hester. Project Report.

  • “Seamless Knitting with Post-Consumer Recycled Woollen Yarn” by Maryam Razipour. Master’s thesis, Innovative Textile Development, Saxion University of Applied Sciences.

  • Closing the Knitwear Loop: Design workflow for circular knitwear on demand. Research collaboration. Consortium partners: Knit-It, Marije Lytske Hester, StCreative, Favourite Forms.

  • “A comparative LCA study of Knitted Wool Jumpers Produced On-Demand in the

    Netherlands” by M.L. Hester. Project Report.

  • “The Environmental Impact of a Transition to On-Demand Knitwear" by M.L. Hester. Master’s thesis, Innovative Textile Development, Saxion University of Applied Sciences.

Personal knitwear

How to produce a great fitting garment for a unique individual? The N.I.O. Digital Tailoring System is being development specifically for knitted garments. A comment we often hear is ‘Knitwear doesn’t need to fit that well because it stretches!’. In our experience, ill-fitting knitwear (sleeves to short, bottom exposed when bending down, neck to narrow, etc) can be a mayor source of frustration and a reason to never wear such an item. Most people prefer a made-to-measure garment once they have had the privilege to try it. At New Industrial Order we believe that progress is inevitable, in every aspect of humanity, and that the quality standards set by tailoring and couture will some day be available for everybody. Why not start now?

And what is the role of designers when the consumer influences the production process? We test interaction, co-creation and play with curated design options to find out what consumers wish to personalize and how they want to be guided by designers.

Projects & Publications

  • The Girl and the Machine: Personal Knitwear. Crowdfunded collection presented at Dutch Design Week, produced at Parrillu’s.

Remote sizing and virtual fitting

The value of the good old measuring tape is undisputed, but the new era asks for more sophisticated ways to extract body measurements from a person. Clever people and innovative companies around the world are working on this topic. New Industrial Order reaches out to researchers and startups everywhere to find the best solutions for remote sizing. There are many ways: from 3D scanning in a scan booth to algorithms calculating your body dimensions based on a picture you take with your smartphone. Based on this information, brands can send the right size to a consumer, or produce a made-to-measure garment.

The next challenge is to create a realtime virtual fitting process that helps consumers find the size and fit they want, acknowledging that there not only the dressmakers’ idea of a perfect fit should be considered, but also a person’s ‘emotional fit’.

Projects & Publications

  • Virtual fitting of personal knitwear. Research collaboration, Shavatar (formerly known as Shasize), The Girl and the Machine.

On Demand Order System

How to produce knitwear from 1 piece quantity on a large scale? The On Demand Order System (ODOS®) combines sizing, knit programming and manufacturing.

Projects & Publications

  • KNIT1: Data-driven ERP app for fast, flexible, no waste knit production at SME manufacturers in EU. Research project funded by SoTecIn Factory.

Knit manufacturing

Knitting is the most promising technology for the future of sustainable textiles and this is no secret to the knitting industry itself. A number of large innovative companies already provide knitting machines that can truly function as ‘knit robots’ in an on-demand supply chain. Knitwear manufacturers around the world are investing in these machines. The main barrier to providing knitwear from 1 piece is the lack of infrastructure to make production on demand cost-efficient enough to fit into the manufacturing business model.

New Industrial Order collaborates on on-demand knitting with some of the most knowledgeable manufacturers of knitwear in Europe.

Projects & Publications

  • NITTO.Amsterdam. Demonstrator.

  • The Girl and the Machine. Demonstrator.

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