All it took was a session in a ‘Build a bear’ workshop for Mon Purse founder Lana Hopkins to get a great idea for a business of her own – instead of custom-made teddy bears, why not custom made handbags?
Mon Purse launched in early 2015 and now makes personally initialled, bespoke bags in Europe and is a company that has fully embraced technology.
The company has sold tens of thousands of bags and just recently had a complete website overhaul that further propels the business as a leader in the fashion-tech space.
Working with in-house developers, Mon Purse created the 3D Bag Builder, a proprietary built front-end (using WebGL and JavaScript in HTML) implementing a vision of an intuitive way for customers to design their very own handbag.
Once the customer’s design is digitally crafted, the virtual handbag can be rotated and viewed from every imaginable angle, even with full 3D visibility.
How it works:
The bag builder uses 3D modelling software to render each bag in its fully customised form, while customers are able to select from a range of design options: leather colour, texture, interior lining, premium hardware and monogramming finishes.
Picture Credit: Screenshots from Mon Purse
Customers can use touchscreen features, like double tapping, or pinching, to easily operate the bag builder on smartphones and tablets. On the website, the bag builder is 3D so you can spend some time choosing fabrics and textures and then see, from a variety of angles, what your bag will really look like.
To render the leathers in the most realistic way, the tool uses PBR, a modelling method recently developed in the gaming-industry for leather armour and skin. The colour matching is precise and what customers see is what they get.
Mon Purse now has a full-time technology team that will continue to evolve the software, ensuring the company remains at the forefront of the fashion tech industry.