Inside the new couture atelier: when data meets handmade

Brazilian couture houses like Vitor Zerbinato and Carol Rossato use digital systems to forecast costs and integrate processes while preserving their artisanal DNA.

In luxury ateliers, the dominant narrative still celebrates the exclusivity of the handmade. Behind the scenes of leading Brazilian maisons, however, new pieces increasingly emerge from a fine-tuned dialogue between creative instinct and algorithms. High-end labels such as Vitor Zerbinato and Carol Rossato are embracing management and production technologies to streamline their operations without diluting the craft at the core of their brands.

This shift reflects a maturing fashion market that starts to incorporate Industry 4.0 concepts into couture. In a segment in which raw materials are priced in dollars or euros, any mistake during prototyping can lead to substantial losses, making precise control of fabric consumption and production time a strategic advantage.

Vitor Zerbinato: digital pre-costing for red-carpet couture

At Vitor Zerbinato, a label seen on international red carpets, technology works as a financial regulator for the creative process. The brand uses the Audaces Idea system, developed by multinational Audaces, to run a digital pre-costing phase before the first cut of fabric, simulating material use and production time on screen.

“The program lets us calculate a pre-cost for each project. That way we can adjust things to arrive at something innovative and exuberant, but still within what the market is willing to pay,” explains executive director Andrea Sanchez. According to her, the tool allows changes in materials and patterning during the design phase, helping ensure that the final piece remains both visually impactful and commercially viable.

Digitalisation also addresses the challenge of preserving the technical archive. The label uses digital boards to convert patterns created through moulage – draping directly on the mannequin – into precise digital files. “Our patterns are 100% digitised. This means we can reproduce the same piece as many times as needed with the same quality, making it easier for the assembly team to understand every step,” adds Andrea.

Vitor Zerbinato runway show. Photo: Press handout

Carol Rossato: engineering leather with automation

In the leather goods segment, Carol Rossato faces the inherent irregularity of organic material. The brand’s strategy has been to clearly separate what must remain manual from what can be automated, preserving the artisanal gaze over each hide.

“Leather cutting is still done by hand, to respect the nuances of each skin, but all the engineering around the piece, such as size grades and technical sheets, is being automated,” says designer Carol Rossato. The company is implementing full integration between the Audaces fashion engineering system and its Sisplan management ERP, in order to eliminate data re-entry between design and manufacturing.

“We estimate an 80% improvement in process speed once the integration is complete,” projects style coordinator Carolina Leal. Automated grading – scaling patterns for different sizes – removes the need for manual measuring piece by piece and shortens the time-to-market between design approval and showroom delivery.

For brands operating on the tight schedule of luxury retail, faster and more reliable technical data flows help cut production bottlenecks, reduce waste of materials and maintain consistency across collections.

Carol Rossato campaign. Photo: Press handout

Technology as a Brazilian fashion export

The technology used by both brands is developed by Audaces, a Brazilian company that has become a global reference in innovation for the textile and apparel industry. The current landscape points to a future of hybrid luxury fashion, where creativity, finishing and fabric handling remain human, while resource management, pricing and technical logistics are driven by data intelligence.

By enabling couture ateliers to anticipate costs, manage risk and organise their archives with precision, these digital systems are consolidating themselves as a strategic asset for Brazilian fashion on the international stage, supporting the financial sustainability and competitiveness of the country’s most coveted labels.

Photo: Press handout