New 3-D body mapping app offers users virtual trying of garments, perfect fit

Those who are not too fond of trying on clothes in stores should take note: a new 3-D body mapping app allows shoppers to skip this step and try on clothes virtually, from the convenience of their homes or anywhere, and promises perfect fit.

A group of Indian techies has set up Trupik, a start-up with offices in Sunnyvale, California and Hyderabad, India, with the aim of bridging the online-offline disconnect when shopping and allowing seamless movement between the physical and virtual worlds.

The Trupik Connect app lets users create a 3-D digital self, which they can use to see how a particular garment drapes around them. They can then move on to virtually trying on the next garment or share a picture of the previous one with their friends for a second opinion.

New app creates realistic 'feel' of garment

"We are using Microsoft Kinect, a depth-sensing camera which takes multiple reference points of your body, creating your virtual avatar. Through the app, consumers can see how multiple sizes and fabrics drape on them," explained Sridhar Tirumala, CEO of Trupik, at the app's launch in Hyderabad a few days ago. “Unlike some of the technology solutions, our solution provides a 3-D view of the shirt or trousers. It is as good as you wearing them,” he added.

The technology also remembers a user's preferences, eliminating the need to go through "irrelevant choices" - but also the opportunity to chance upon something out of character. These preferences are shared with the brands that Trupik has tied up with - currently four menswear brands, Indian Terrain, Raymonds, Wills and Allen Solly - who can then send recommendations to shoppers.

In the partnering stores, the company will also install Trupik kiosks, which will create a 3-D body map of the user and then drape the clothes on this digital persona. Once they have decided on a piece of clothing they want to buy, shoppers can pick the selected garment from a store or opt for home delivery.

"We will initially tie-up with brand stores and take our products to other multi-brand outlets, adding new categories. Subsequently, it will be rolled out to other parts of the country, the continent and the rest of the globe. Soon, we will add fashion accessories - jewellery," commented Tirumala on the company's future plans.

The two-year-old Silicon Valley start-up has raised a seed round of 1 million US dollars (around 60 million or 6 crore rupees) from expatriate HNIs including the Kommareddy Group of Investors based in Silicon Valley and will initiate conversations for a Series A round by next month.

Image: Trupik