In this Live Talk session, Kiele Lowe, VP of Product at Browzwear, sat down with Tabitha Chilton, Senior Product Development Manager at Hanesbrands, to discuss how a heritage brand known for craftsmanship is embracing digital product creation to deliver quicker, better results.Drawing on Winston-Salem’s legacy of manufacturing years, Tabitha offers a generational insight into how trusted apparel brands transition with technology. Her team’s move to a virtual-first, physical-second workflow has changed the way Hanes designs, collaborates, and makes fit decisions.
Here's a breakdown of key takeaways from the session.
The transition began with a question: how could Hanes speed up development while maintaining the precision its customers expect? The answer was in the integration of collaboration and sustainability — and innovation into a digital product creation process.
“We treat 3D as our first fit, and the physical as our second. That shift has increased our approval rates and given our teams more confidence in every sample,” Tabitha explained.
By integrating Browzwear, Hanes allowed pattern engineers, and product developers, and creative designers to work in real time, making changes and aligning on fit before the first physical prototype is made.
Today, Hanes teams meet around a screen instead of a lightbox. Digital twins are used to review virtual fits, determine print placements and make changes on the fly.
“Using Browzwear has given us the accuracy to look at all the foundational elements we’ve built as a team and see them come to life in 3D.”
When physical samples come, the team compares them to their virtual twins for accuracy.
“Due to our 3D virtual twin closely replicating our physical garment on body, we are able to make accurate decisions in real time such as aesthetic details, ease of garment, and style specific needs like necklines and body lengths.”
In one instance, digital previews of prints and colorways saved weeks of back-and-forth sampling, speeding buyer approvals and cutting back on unnecessary versions.
“Being able to see those iterations live like neckline adjustments, length changes, print updates, means the team knows exactly what to expect before the first physical round.”
The impact has been clear:
High first-fit approval rates
Fewer sample rounds and lesser material costs
Shorter calendars from design through production
Stronger team confidence and collaboration
“Everything is speed, speed, speed, but the real win is doing it efficiently and effectively.”
The new effort proves that trusted, accurate virtual fit isn’t only a design benefit, it’s a measurable business benefit.
Book a demo with the Browzwear team today to learn how to achieve similar results in product development.
Lowering the number of sample rounds helps support Hanes’ own sustainability ambitions and enhances digital skills throughout the company.
“Confidence is key. The more we trust what we’re seeing in the virtual fit, the faster we move, and the fewer samples we waste.”
In doing so, Hanes is still defining what scalable, sustainable and efficient digital product building looks like – by investing in people, technology and precision.
Hanes expands its virtual workflows to marketing and e-commerce to see how AI and real-time visualization can make the consumer experience better and also better match the physical and digital worlds.
“We’re in a forever-changing world,” Tabitha reflected. “I’m excited about what’s to come.”