The La Jolla Group was using an outdated system of spreadsheets to manage their product development process that led to inaccurate information and delays. They implemented Lectra Fashion PLM to streamline processes from design to sourcing for four of their six brands. This centralized system improved communication, reduced costs from discounts and air shipping, and provided accurate pre-costing and timelines. The COO said the apparel-focused PLM solution allowed them to improve their process and development.

1. Success Story
THE CHALLENGE
Before switching to Lectra Fashion PLM, the La Jolla Group (LJG) was using
a cumbersome system of spreadsheets that were neither up-to-date, nor in
sync with the company’s culture of technological innovation and cutting-edge
performance products. This labor-intensive method did not provide central
storage for data, images, or artwork, and accurate pre-costing was virtually
impossible.
THE SOLUTION
Today, four of La Jolla Group’s six apparel brands are up and running with
Lectra Fashion PLM.The Lectra Fashion PLM solution is helping them streamline
the product development process for all brands, from design and merchandising,
to pattern making and sourcing, with a final payoff of lower costs and shorter
time-to-market. Integrated enterprise solutions dedicated to apparel finally allow
designers to track changes, establish pre-costing, and collaborate across multiple
sites with minimal labor.
“After an extensive amount of PLM market research and a seamless
integration, La Jolla Group has finally found and deployed the solution that
will take the process of product development and lifecycle management
to the next level,” says Josh Wellington, Chief Operating Officer, LJG. “An
apparel-centric PLM that understands and compliments the nuances of
our industry has finally arrived.”
The La Jolla Group’s brand portfolio represents a diversity of specialty apparel for
action sports including surf, skate, snow, and motocross, as well as beach lifestyle
apparel and accessories. A dynamic company with efficiency, performance,
innovation, and quality at its core, LJG recognized the need to improve design
and development across its offering in order to keep up in a competitive market
with rapid trend turnover.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
MARKET
Surfwear • Action sportswear •
Beachwear
LOCATION
Irvine, CA
CHALLENGE
Transform an unwieldy system
of spreadsheets into a flexible,
convenient product development
tool
BENEFITS
Improved communication •
Reduced costs • Accurate pre-
costing and calendaring
LECTRA SOLUTIONS
The only PLM solution developed es
The only PLM solution developed
especially for fashion, Lectra Fashion
PLM’s modular offer addresses col-
lection development from the draw-
ing board to the cutting room, includ-
ing product development and virtual
prototyping.
Coupled with Lectra’s consulting,
Lectra Fashion PLM represents a
revolutionary end-to-end approach
to apparel and fashion development.
Lectra fashion plm Supports
INnovation And drives
forward-thinking design at
la jollaINDUSTRY: Fashion

2. A transparent development process
“Previously, our season’s information was
manually tracked in an Excel file that was
input not just once, but twice, by design-
ers, merchandisers, etc.,” explains Jessica
Redden, PLM administrator. The result was
a confusing multiplicity of information silos
and versions for any one style. To make mat-
ters worse, there was no calendar to track
changes. Inefficiencies were already costing
money in the form of air-shipping and retailer
discounts for late arrivals.
Enter Lectra Fashion PLM. Lectra’s Fashion
PLM solution includes a central repository
for all data, including graphics; a workflow
system with timed milestones; a live cost-
ing and margin estimate; and an internal
communication system with an audit trail for
internal and external exchanges.
Since implementing Lectra Fashion PLM,
La Jolla Group has reduced a significant
amount of manual work and addressed
the problem of data silos. This means a
cleaner process for designers, but also
better communication from design to mer-
chandising. “All of our data is captured in
Lectra Fashion PLM and we can automati-
cally generate the same report visualized
in Excel, but now with the images included
along with all the style information,” explains
Scott Fitzpatrick, La Jolla Group’s Director
of Business Intelligence. “Getting a report
of all the data that was previously entered
manually just threw it over the edge. It was
an epiphany for our merchandisers!”
Rusty brand solution
The initial project involved moving the Rusty
brand on to the Lectra Fashion PLM plat-
form. Data from LJG’s existing ERP system
was integrated into Lectra Fashion PLM to
maintain critical business functions.
An Adobe Illustrator integration on both
Macintosh and PC enabled designers’ work
to be automatically created or updated in
Lectra Fashion PLM, while a color solution
integrated the ERP and NRF codes with both
marketing and technical names for seasonal
colors. Coupled with an easy-to-use bill of
materials (BoM) and a size, specification,
and fitting solution, designers have every-
thing they need to control development from
design to merchandising at their fingertips.
“It allows the design cycle to have a single
consolidated dataset and has helped LJG
move away from disparate data and manual
processes,” says Wellington.
According to Redden, the system is
already showing benefits. Previously, La
Jolla was forced to give retailers discounts
because of late delivery, which cut into
revenues. Because their system lacked
organization and effective calendars, they
often resorted to costly air shipping for
samples or even retail-bound garments.
Lectra Fashion PLM is helping them cut
these costs.
An apparel-specific PLM
To maintain control, quality, and consis-
tency and ensure that designers buy in to
the system, La Jolla Group pre-loads all
the fabrics, trims, and colorways needed
for the season’s collection.
Designers then create their styles using
Adobe Illustrator and the artwork is auto-
matically pulled into Lectra Fashion PLM.
The designer can then log on to the net-
work, link the style to an image and choose
the appropriate fabrics, trims, and color-
ways to determine a BoM.
“The apparel-centric user interface
addresses issues experienced in other
PLM offerings by being more of a design
environment, rather than having a rigid
‘engineering’ feel,” explains Wellington.
Pre-loaded LJG-specific libraries ensure
cost and quality and help reduce error.
Controlling access to BoM components
gives a measure of control to designs
as well, allowing everyone to capitalize
on brand assets. Designers are spared
repetitive administrative tasks and left to
do what they do best—design.
Implementation experience
La Jolla Group wanted a fast and pain-
less implementation, and Lectra met their
deadline ahead of schedule.
The company says it is just scratching the
surface of Lectra Fashion PLM. When the
solution is fully implemented across all
brands, they will be able to share select
data with key partners around the globe,
capitalizing on Lectra Fashion PLM’s com-
munication services. They will have com-
plete control over the entire lifecycle of
every product in every brand.
“The biggest benefit from the designer
standpoint is that it’s easy to use. The
visual space makes sense to the design-
ers and all of the users are quite happy,”
says Redden.
About Lectra
Lectra is the world leader in integrated technology solutions that automate, streamline, and accelerate product design,
development, and manufacturing processes for industries using soft materials. Lectra develops the most advanced specialized
software and cutting systems and provides associated services to a broad array of markets including fashion (apparel, accessories,
footwear), automotive (car seats and interiors, airbags), and furniture, as well as a wide variety of other market sectors, such as
aeronautical and marine industries, wind turbines, and personal protective equipment. Lectra serves 23,000 customers in more
than 100 countries with 1,350 employees. The company is listed on NYSE Euronext.
lectra.com
La Jolla Group, Inc.
La Jolla Group is the premiere multi-
brand apparel licensing company,
with a prominent portfolio that includes
some of the most recognized names
in fashion and action sports: O’Neill
ClothingUSA,MetalMulishaClothing,
RustyNorthAmerica,TheBerrics,and
FMF Racing. La Jolla Group has cre-
ated a diversified brand mix special-
ized in surf, skate, snow, motocross,
fashion and beach lifestyle.
With a variety of successful brands,
over 400 employees across the U.S.,
and 10 successful retail locations, La
Jolla Group continues to evolve. The
groups brands are sold in over 3000
retailers across the US, and world-
wide, including Europe, U.K., Canada,
LatinAmerica,Australia, and Japan.
For more information,
visit www.lajollagroup.com.