Iconic brands run deeper than a logo, span distance further than a specific time period and establish an appeal that define the attitude for generations. Fossil is such a brand, known first for their vintage-style watches, spanning the gamut of lifestyle and fashion accessories from handbags and jewelry to clothing, wallets and an array of gear for your tech. Producing the imagery for these products requires an exact eye for the detail that would be matched in a photography shoot. Using KeyShot, Fossil has achieved this, refining the design process along the way and releasing amazing products rooted in vintage design. Brad Piercey, Design Development Manager at Fossil, tells us more.

Fossil is a global retailer specializing in the design, innovation, and marketing of fashion lifestyle and accessory products. At the heart of the Company’s vision is a commitment to fostering creativity and delivering the best in design through its two core businesses: Fossil brand; and a multi-brand watch business. The Fossil brand is rooted in authenticity and a distinctive vintage-inspired design aesthetic. With over 390 stores worldwide and a strong global e-commerce business, the brand is internationally known for its eclectic assortment of lifestyle and accessory items including watches, handbags, and clothing. The Company also creates fashion accessories for a number of other owned and licensed brands including MICHELE, Zodiac, Relic, Emporio Armani, DKNY, Armani Exchange, Michael Kors, Diesel, Burberry, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Adidas, Skagen Denmark, and Karl Lagerfeld. The Company is constantly developing its multi-brand portfolio through its core competencies in innovative branding, world-class design, and dynamic global distribution.

While Fossil uses SolidWorks as their main design tool for watches, they are testing Rhino for specific applications in the area of jewelry and freeform surfacing. Their approach to product design is multi-disciplinary. “We look at a wide scope of influences ranging from vintage military to mid-century modern; as well as modern influences like automotive design and consumer electronics.” Brad tells us, “Everything we do is rooted in vintage, but the modern details create the allure of a well made contemporary timepiece. Our design team is unique because we incorporate a two-tier approach. On the front end, we’ll use classical hardware development as well as advanced modeling and prototyping. On the back end, is color and material studies using textiles, patterns and graphics–Both working in conjunction with the brand direction.”

Their advanced development has been ever-evolving over the past ten years. As technologies and tools change they have adpated the process along with them. “KeyShot is the first tool we have used that enables amazingly fast colorways for material, texture and color to quickly and effortlessly communicate our platforms both internally and externally.” Brad explains, “KeyShot has become the tool of choice to communicate concepts to non-designers as well as serve as a virtual photo studio specific to form and material studies. More recently we have used KeyShot with the launch of our Fossil Swiss Made collection and continue its use for future product.”

Using KeyShot is part of Fossil’s 3D initiative, an initiative that has substantially reduced sample lead times as well as revisions. “KeyShot adds to the level of detail with delicate hand-crafted items like watch dials and leather straps. Rubber and silicone straps have also become streamlined with the use of the new texture library and the effortless texture mapping ensures our design team is properly vetting out each hardware decision made along the process.”

Most recently, KeyShot aided in the development of their Limited Edition Diving Watch, called Breaker. It’s a watch with 554 pieces, rated at 200 meters and launching in July. “We wanted to capture a great vintage find that you might buy at a curated boutique or website for thousands of dollars,” Brad says. “KeyShot gave us the ability to create multiple color and material studies within minutes, and edit down what would usually be an entire assortment into a single limited edition piece with multiple attachments.”

“After working with KeyShot over the past 3 years, it is exciting to see not only the growth the platform has achieved but also the care that Luxion takes with customer feedback and future releases. Knowing that I have that kind of relationship is a great tool to help my team do things faster and improve our process with time.”