Trying on clothes virtually
Being able to try on an outfit virtually to see if it fits would result in fewer returns. Two ETH students are working on making this possible.
ETH student Fayçal M'hamdi likes to shop. However, he never buys his clothes online because he finds it difficult to find the right fit. He has always had to send back any online purchases made. This prompted him and fellow student Pietro Zullo to do something about this problem.
They developed a virtual fitting room called Alter Ego at ETH Zurich's Student Project House. All the user has to do is enter a full body photo and their height. Based on this input, Alter Ego creates a virtual avatar.
You don’t need to download an app to use this fitting room. Fayçal and Pietro aim to make the virtual fitting room available as a plug-in on the various shopping platforms. “We still have a long way to go before this project will have a significant impact on the fashion industry”, says Fayçal M'hamdi.
The two ETH students are convinced their idea can make an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. Online stores often retain customers by offering simple return processes. But this has a huge impact on the environment because returned clothing has to be washed and dried before it can be resold. Many garments are simply destroyed.